Valkyria Chronicles: Lone Wulf
by Runty Grunty
Summary: -ON HIATUS- After failing to protect Isara at the Battle of Marberry, Marina Wulfstan is thrust into the darkest days of the war, and of her life. This chronicles her war story as the infamous Ghost of Gallia... CHAPTER 10 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

Due to a good suggestion from DC20, author of Flashpoint (which, DC20, is awesome, BTW), I've reuploaded all seven chapters with some modifications, primarily relating to distance. Note that I've researched these rifle ranges; they're all reasonable.

Overall, it shouldn't be a major issue. Your reviews will still apply properly. Still, enjoy these Chapter V2.0's.

**Chapter 1: Failure**

A flock of birds chirped as they flew over Fort Amatriain, located in central Gallia. The base was filled with militia soldiers going about their daily tasks. At one end of the base was the shooting range, a large open expanse of dirt lined with targets. It was unpopulated at the moment, save for one soldier.

Standing in front of a small wooden fence, Corporal Marina Wulfstan took aim at a target board spaced about 300 meters away. The 24-year-old sniper was a pale individual with jet black hair, part of which covered the left of her two violet eyes. Slim in figure, Marina was considered by many to be a beauty, but her personality and reputation were enough to keep potential wooers away.

Slowly squeezing the trigger of her GSR-XX, Marina fired, sending a sniper bullet right through the exact middle of her target. Upon reloading, Marina took aim at another target, this one 325 meters away. Again, her shot went through the exact middle. For three more shots, the cycle repeated, though the targets became progressively more and more distant.

As Marina slid open the loading chamber of her rifle for another shot, she heard someone whistling behind her, obviously impressed with her marksmanship. Turning, she saw Squad Seven's war correspondent, Irene Ellet, leaning against a wooden column. She had her trademark notepad and a fresh pencil in hand.

Ellet then said, "You know, with a shot like that, you'd make a pretty good photographer."

Ignoring Ellet's remark, Marina loaded her rifle and took aim at another target, 425 meters away. Her rifle cracked loudly as she fired, hitting the target squarely in the middle. Again, Ellet whistled, impressed by Marina's accuracy. She hadn't even used the scope of the rifle, which lay on a nearby table.

"Not bad, not bad," said Ellet.

Marina ignored Ellet as she turned to Squad Seven's mascot, Hans, and said, "Hans, more ammo."

"_Moink moink._"

Hans scurried off to get some more sniper rounds for Marina. As the porcavian went out of sight, Marina heard Ellet ask, "Mind me asking where you learned to shoot like that?"

Marina didn't even turn an eye to Ellet, discretely showing she did mind. But at that moment, another woman's voice said, "That'd be due to her father."

Turning, Marina saw a fellow Squad Seven sniper, Catherine O'Hara, come out from behind a fence. The 35-year-old EWI veteran was a pale woman with dark brown hair, though one could tell just by looking at her that she had a troubled past. Marina had known Catherine ever since she was a little girl; Catherine had been something of a godmother to Marina since her childhood.

"Her father?" Ellet asked Catherine.

"Marcus Wulfstan," Catherine answered. "He was a comrade of mine in the First War. The Sniper Wolf of EWI. Damn good shot. Had over a hundred kills by the end of the war."

"I see…" said Ellet, now intrigued and writing notes in her notepad. Turning to Marina, who was now seated on a wooden footstool, Ellet said, "Care to comment?"

Again, Marina didn't answer, but turned a cold stare at Ellet to silence her. Ellet was left visibly sweating at this glance.

"She's never liked talking about him," Catherine said to Ellet. "Not since he died ten years ago."

This remark provoked a scornful stare from Marina directed at Catherine. Catherine did not waver to this; she was used to being a hated friend, of sorts.

At that moment, Hans returned with a small box of sniper rounds balanced on his back. Marina bent down and took the rounds from Hans, and then patted the porcavian behind his ears. She then loaded a round into her rifle and took aim at a target. This one was 450 meters away.

Ellet then said, "You know, compared to the others, she seems to be holding up pretty well."

Catherine knew what Ellet meant. With a sigh, she said, "We all miss her, Irene. Isara… she was…"

At that very moment, Marina fired another shot. But barely a second later had an audible, yet quiet gasp slipped from her lips. Her shot had missed completely and had hit a tree that was behind the target.

"…Dammit…" Marina cursed.

Marina's misfire came as a shock to Catherine. In all the battles they had fought together in, Catherine had not once seen Marina miss. In addition, the look of shock on Marina's face was one Catherine was not accustomed to.

"Marina…?"

Grimacing, Marina said, "…How could I miss…?"

"What's this? The great Marina Wulfstan has lost her edge?" said a snide male voice.

Turning to the source, Marina, Catherine and Ellet saw another sniper, Cezary Regard, walk onto the scene. The 23-year-old male sniper had gray hair and blue eyes. His gaunt face was reminiscent of a serpent. Neither Marina nor Catherine was pleased to see Cezary; he made a point of being one of Squad Seven's more disliked members.

"Knew it would happen eventually," Cezary taunted. "I'm just glad I got to see it when it did."

"…"

"Not gonna say anything? Tch, pathetic…"

"Knock it off, Cezary," said Catherine. "Everyone misses at some point."

"Sure, sure. But Marina here only seems to miss when it counts."

Marina glared at Cezary for this remark; what he had just said was like a slap to the face. "…Shut up…" Marina hissed, yet she did not show her anger.

"What's that? Must've hit a soft spot."

"Cezary, that's enough!" Catherine nearly shouted. "She did everything she could in that battle!"

"And despite all that, it still wasn't enough. When push came to shove, I wouldn't have choked like she did. I wouldn't have _missed_."

"…Shut up…" Marina hissed again, glaring at Cezary.

"Or maybe… maybe you didn't choke in the first place. Maybe you _meant_ to miss…"

"Shut up!" Marina said in an uncharacteristic tone of anger. At that same instant, she drew her pistol, a Colt .45, and pointed it at Cezary's head. This action frightened Hans, who squealed as he scurried away.

"What's going on over here?" shouted another voice.

The three snipers turned to see Welkin, Rosie, Largo, and Captain Varrot walk onto the scene. Largo was the one who had spoken.

"Corporal Wulfstan, holster your weapon immediately!" shouted Varrot.

"…" Marina complied with the order and holstered her gun.

"You had better have a good explanation for this."

"She was provoked, Elle," said Catherine. "The things Cezary said were completely out of order."

"That may be, but it does not justify pointing a gun at a comrade."

"…Not my fault…" Marina mumbled, strangely distressed.

"Marina? What is it?" asked Rosie.

"I– I tried not to miss, but… dammit, Isara… I couldn't save her…"

Marina turned away from everyone else so they couldn't see her face, but everyone could tell she was in pain. Catherine walked up to her and put a hand on the sniper's shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Marina," said Catherine.

"Don't fool yourself," said Cezary. "We all know she's to blame. She had a perfect shot at that sniper, and she botched it. Missed his head by an inch. Like I said, she can't take the pressure when push comes to shove."

"Marina did everything she could, Cezary!" Rosie snapped.

"And her best didn't cut it, Stark. If it had been me in that spot, I wouldn't have missed. I never miss."

Cezary spun on his heel and turned to leave. But as he did, he was suddenly stopped by Welkin, which came as a surprise to the others.

"Do you mind, boss?" Cezary said to Welkin.

"Cezary, how do you know so much about this?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You just said Marina missed the sniper by an inch. How do you know that?"

Cezary suddenly became strangely nervous. It was as Welkin thought; he was hiding something from them.

Holding up the microphone to her recorder, Ellet said, "Care to clarify on this little fact?"

"I… uh…" Cezary was clearly stalling.

"Private Regard, you will answer Lieutenant Gunther's question," said Varrot.

"Start talking, you little weasel," said Largo as he loomed over Cezary in an intimidating fashion.

"You saw him too, didn't you?" said Marina, getting the attention of the others. She had recollected her stoic disposition. "You saw that sniper, but you didn't shoot him. You knew he was going after Isara, but you didn't take him out."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Cezary said vehemently.

"I saw you, Cezary. I saw you lower your rifle, so I had to take the shot. If you had taken him out, Isara wouldn't have died."

The others were stunned by Marina's accusation, though Ellet was also delighted by the intriguing story. She made sure to get every word on her recorder.

"And it's not the first time," Marina continued. "Back when we took the Vasel Bridge, I had to save Nadine because you didn't take out a sniper that was targeting her. And in Barious, you let a group of scouts sneak up on Wavy and Karl."

"That's outrageous!" Cezary snarled.

"And what about what you tried to pull at Fouzen?"

Cezary's eyes shot wide open at this. He almost looked scared at what Marina was going to say next.

"When Vyse's group was evacuating the Darcsen camps, you tried to shoot them as they were fleeing."

This produced several audible gasps from the others.

"You're crazy!" said Cezary.

"Am I? Maybe that broken scope of yours will say otherwise. I had to shoot it out to stop you. I hear you blamed a mortar round for it. Nice cover story."

Cezary was visibly sweating at this point. Now angry, Welkin said to Cezary, "Is this all true?"

Cezary knew he was caught. His expression suddenly turned snide as he said, "What can I say? I say less dark hairs in the world would be a good thing."

Everyone was dumbstruck by Cezary's words, even Ellet.

"That Imp did me quite a favor, actually," Cezary continued. "That oily little brat really got on my nerves."

"You… you bastard!" Rosie screamed as she stormed up to Cezary and punched him in the face. As she continued attacking Cezary, Rosie screamed, "How could you let her die? How could you, you bastard?"

Largo was forced to pull a crazed Rosie away from Cezary to keep her from killing him barehanded. "Rosie, knock it off!" Largo shouted commandingly. "This isn't gonna bring the kid back!"

Cezary pushed himself to his feet as he hissed, "Ach, crazy bitch!"

"Cezary!" Welkin said angrily, yet without shouting. As the sniper turned to him, Welkin said, "I have put up with your attitude so far because you have skill. But what you have just said crossed the line."

"Tch, so the kid got killed. Boohoo. That's war for you."

"That may be, but you had an obligation to this squad to protect your teammates, regardless of their heritage!"

"I only follow one obligation, boss, and that's to me."

"Is that how it is? Fine… Cezary Regard, by my authority as leader of Squad Seven, you are hereby dishonorably discharged from the squad, effective immediately."

"Say what?"

"You heard me. I want you out of my squad, immediately! I don't care what you do with your life, but I'll have no part in it."

"So that's it, huh? Booted out for following my beliefs? Tch, damn Darcsen-lover…" Spinning on his heel, Cezary said, "Fine, I was getting sick of you too, Gunther. I'm outta here."

Cezary barely took a step before Captain Varrot said, "Not so fast, Private Regard."

"What, you have a problem too, Captain?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. What I've heard of your actions borders on treason."

"You've got to be kidding me." Pointing at Marina, Cezary said, "You actually believe what she's saying? She has no proof!"

"Whether or not I believe her is beside the point. Until a formal investigation has been conducted, I am placing you under house arrest according to military law."

"What? You can't do that!"

"I can and will, Mr. Regard, until we figure out whether or not you are guilty of such accusations. You are to be confined to the barracks until further notice."

Cezary wanted to argue the issue, but he knew he had no choice. As he turned to leave, he took a furious glare at Marina, who stared back at him with her uncovered violet eye. She could tell that he was blaming her for his predicament, but she felt that he deserved such a punishment.

As Cezary stormed off, muttering angrily to himself, Welkin let out a deep sigh. Largo, who had finished calming down Rosie, asked, "You alright with this, boss? Just kicking him out of the squad like that?"

"It would do no good to resort to violence," said Welkin. "Besides, this is the best way I can think of to honor what Is was trying to accomplish. I can't change his views… and to be honest, I don't think anyone can…"

"Lieutenant, I'll need your help with the investigation," said Varrot. Then, turning to Marina, she added, "Corporal Wulfstan, I will need you to come to my office in an hour to provide an official testimony."

"Understood," Marina said simply.

Varrot then walked off in the direction of the command center with Welkin in tow. As the two left, Ellet said, "Well, it certainly isn't front page news, but it's a scoop nonetheless." She then left the area, leaving Marina, Catherine, Largo and Rosie at the shooting range.

Marina slumped down on a wooden stool with a sigh. The others could tell that ratting Cezary out hadn't been easy for her, despite how easy it was to hate him.

"Marina?" said Catherine. "Are you–"

"Leave me alone…" Marina interrupted silently.

Not wanting to disturb her further, the others decided to leave together. Marina spent the next half-hour sitting at the shooting range, but fired no more shots.

* * *

A few minutes after her testimony to Captain Varrot, Marina was walking to the mess hall of the barracks. She had told the Captain most of what she had already revealed, though this time it would be on record.

Marina had gone into much greater detail in her testimony of the events using the maps of the combat zones, citing where she had been and where Cezary had been at the times of his crimes. It wasn't enough to get a conviction, though Varrot told Marina that it was a start. Welkin, however, was getting the final piece of the puzzle: the damaged sniper scope Cezary had used at Fouzen.

Knowing Cezary would likely go to prison for his crimes gave Marina a mixed set of feelings. As a soldier, Cezary was undoubtedly lethal as a sniper. But as a person, he was no less than despicable. He clearly deserved to pay for his crimes, but although Marina hated him, she wasn't sure Gallia could afford to lose such a skilled soldier.

As Marina entered the mess hall, she saw many of the other Sevens chatting amongst each other. But as she passed, some of them gave Marina odd glances. It didn't take her long to realize they had heard about Cezary.

"Marina!" shouted a familiar voice.

Marina turned to see Edy Nelson, Homer Peron, Kevin Abbott, and Knute Jung approaching her. Kevin and Knute were friends of Cezary's, though they didn't share his anti-Darcsen sentiments.

"Marina, we heard from Catherine," said Edy. "Is it true? Did Cezary–"

"Yeah… it's true," Marina replied.

"I– I can't believe he'd do such a thing," said Kevin. "E– Even for someone like him."

"A real shame," said Knute. "Such potential all gone to waste."

"Oh, don't give us that crap, Knute!" Edy said harshly. "He had it coming!"

"Miss Edy, please calm down," said Homer. "There's no need to– UGH!"

Edy had slugged Homer in the gut due to his interruption, though Marina knew the engineer enjoyed such punishment.

"Homer, please, I'm ranting!" Edy snapped. Then, turning back to Knute, she continued, "That Cezary is such a jerk! I hope the Captain throws the book at him!" Then, turning to Marina, Edy asked, "She will, right?"

"I guess so…" said Marina.

"Oh good! One less pain in the butt is something we all need right now!"

As Edy continued her ranting, Marina walked away from the group and headed toward a table. But on the way, she saw Cezary glaring angrily at her from a table in the corner of the mess hall. She glanced back at him, but didn't stop walking.

As Marina walked on, Cezary stormed toward her, brushing past Freesia York and Montley Leonard. Before Marina could reach her destination, Cezary had grabbed her by the wrist.

"You've got some nerve, you know that?" Cezary hissed. "I'm facing a life sentence because you decided to fink on me!"

"…"

"Tch, guess I shouldn't have expected otherwise from Gallia's ace sniper. You can't stand having your thunder stolen, so you decide to take out the competition! That's what this is about, huh?"

"…"

Marina stayed silent as she glared at Cezary, and then tugged her wrist free of Cezary's grip. She then continued walking away from him.

Infuriated, Cezary forcefully seized Marina by the back of her collar and shouted, "You think I'm done yet, Wulfstan?"

The other Sevens were shocked by Cezary's actions. But before anyone could pull the two snipers apart, Marina had thrust an elbow into Cezary's gut, stunning him. Recovering as he stumbled backwards, Cezary drew a knife from his belt. Susie Evans screamed as Cezary took a stab at Marina, who knocked his arm to the side. She then twisted his arm, causing Cezary to yelp in pain as he dropped the knife, and then thrust an elbow to his chest, knocking him back.

"Errgh! You BITCH!" Cezary shouted.

Before Cezary could try anything else, though, Marina pulled out her pistol and aimed for Cezary's head. Cezary smartly stayed put, knowing Marina could shoot at a moment's notice. He was visibly sweating.

"…You make a move…" Marina said as she cocked the hammer on her gun. "And I'll put a bullet in your head. Got it?"

For a short moment, the mess hall was silent as everyone stared at Marina and Cezary. The silence was soon broken by Welkin and Alicia, who pushed their way through the crowd.

"What's going on here?" Alicia demanded. "Marina, what are you–"

"Cezary started it!" shouted Oscar Bielert. "He tried to kill her!"

Alicia and Welkin then saw Cezary's knife on the floor. Alicia moved to recover the knife as Vyse Inglebard and Alex Raymond trained their weapons on Cezary, who had put his hands behind his head.

Seconds later, Cezary was being led away from the mess hall by Noce Wordsworth and Hannes Salinger. As they dragged him off, he turned toward Marina and said, "This isn't over. Someday, somehow, I'll get you for this, Wulfstan!"

"Shut up!" growled Noce. "Keep moving!"

The members of Squad Seven watched as Cezary was hauled away. Taking a deep sigh, Marina holstered her pistol.

"Wow, what a jerk…" said Audrey Heitinga. "He's gonna get soooo busted."

"You said it," replied Ramona Linton. "I mean, he's gonna spend the rest of his life in jail or something, ya know? And he's so ruuude."

The squad became alive in conversation at what had transpired. Minutes later, Rosie and Catherine emerged from the crowd and approached Marina, who had sat down at a table.

"Are you alright, Marina?" asked a concerned Catherine.

"…"

"We'll take that as a yes," said Rosie.

"Is everything alright?" said Welkin as he and Alicia walked up to the three.

"As far as I can tell, boss."

"That's a relief," said Alicia.

"I never thought Cezary would try something like this," said Welkin. "Makes me wish I'd never brought him into Squad Seven in the first place."

"Welkin, don't say stuff like that," said Alicia. "It's not your fault this happened."

"I actually agree with the boss, Alicia," said Rosie. "Honestly, I'll be glad if I never see that weasel again."

"I don't think Marina will get such a comfort, Rosie," said Catherine.

"What do you mean?"

"If Cezary goes to trial for all this, Marina will have to testify against him," answered Welkin. "Marina–"

"If it comes to that, I will," said Marina.

"I'm sorry you had to be put through all this, Marina. I guess Isara's death hit us harder than we thought. Please, get some rest. We could all use it."

"…"

As Marina got up to leave, Welkin added, "And Marina… what happened to Is wasn't your fault. I know you did everything you could."

Marina said nothing, but Welkin could tell she was thankful. She left the mess hall without another word.

For several minutes, Marina walked through the corridors of the barracks. As she did, she suddenly heard a high pitched squealing sound coming down an adjacent hallway. Seconds later, Hans came scurrying around the corner, squealing loudly. Marina knelt down to face the porcavian piglet.

"Hans… what's wrong…?"

"_Moink-oink moink! Moink!_"

Hans quickly turned around and scurried back in the direction he had come from. Marina followed the piglet around several turns and down a flight of stairs. Then, on reaching the bottom of the stairs, Marina was met by a shocking sight.

Both Noce and Hannes were on the ground, injured yet still alive. Noce was unconscious, while Hannes groaned as he tried to push himself up. A broken table and shards of glass littered the floor.

Running up to Hannes, Marina shouted, "Man down! Medic!" Looking at Hannes, Marina said, "What happened?"

In his usual stoic manner, Hannes grunted, "Cezary. Got away."

Marina looked on the floor to see a set of ropes, apparently cut through with a shard of glass. Then, she looked up upon hearing a revving engine. Marina ran up to the nearest window in time to see Cezary speeding across the base grounds on a stolen motorcycle. Marina pulled out her pistol, but Cezary managed to drive out of her line of sight before she could shoot.

Marina ran for the nearest exit as Fina, Squad Seven's medic, arrived to tend to Noce and Hannes. As she ran outside, Marina saw as Cezary sped out the east exit to the base. He was too far for Marina to make a shot with the sidearm.

"…Damn…"

Grimacing, Marina holstered her weapon and turned back toward the barracks. As she walked to the entrance, she was met by Captain Varrot.

"What happened?" Varrot asked Marina.

"…Cezary… he got away…"

**End of Chapter 1**

To any newcomers to this story, be sure to leave reviews. They're VERY appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

A slight change in a few lines, but otherwise it's the same chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter 2: In Isara's Memory**

At the shooting range, Marina sat at a workbench next to Nadine and Leon Schmidt. Nadine was busily tinkering with a new sniper rifle nicknamed the "Springfield". Marina had been given the new prototype due to her combat record. Yet she still felt she didn't deserve the honor after what had happened at Marberry.

As Nadine busily turned her screwdriver, Leon asked, "Are you sure about this, Marina? Your usual scope isn't made to work with a rifle like this."

"I'm sure," said Marina. "I've used this one since…"

"Since what?" Nadine asked.

"…Since my dad passed it on to me…"

After a few more clockwise turns, Nadine raised the rifle and said, "That should do it. See how it works."

Marina took the newly modified Springfield, opened the loading chamber, and added a round to it. The new sniper rounds were a far greater caliber than Marina was used to, but they would hopefully serve the same purpose.

Taking aim down the shooting range, Marina centered the crosshairs of her father's sniper scope on a target, 600 meters away. Seconds later, there was a loud bang. Wisps of smoke emanated from the Springfield's barrel as Marina lowered the weapon.

"…"

"A bull's-eye!" Leon said happily as he looked through a pair of binoculars. "That's great!"

"It's off center by about four degrees," Marina interrupted. "This thing's too powerful for its own good."

"What?" Leon looked at the target and, sure enough, Marina's shot hadn't been dead center. It was off by about an inch or so to the right.

"This thing's no good to me if I miss." Handing the rifle back to Leon, Marina said, "Fix it."

"Uh, umm, sure…" Leon said nervously. "But that could take a while…"

"…Make it happen…"

Marina got to her feet and left the shooting range, leaving Leon and Nadine sweating slightly. She then made her way toward the barracks. She had until the next morning to rest up before Squad Seven was set to move out toward the town of Bruhl.

* * *

The morning sky was shrouded by grey clouds, something that seemed to mirror the current state of Squad Seven. Morale was low, both from Isara's death and Cezary's escape from captivity. He so far hadn't been seen since his escape, something that worried the squad.

As Marina marched alongside the Edelweiss, she overheard a conversation between Susie, Noce, and Alicia. From what Marina had heard, all three of them had formerly been part of the Bruhl Town Patrol, and had been present when the Empire initially attacked. Going back to where the war had started for them was likely to be a difficult thing, Marina thought.

Thinking about it gave Marina an unpleasant memory of her own hometown, Forstwald, which had all but been annihilated by Imperial tanks. Being a hunter with no experience with antitank weaponry, she had been unable to stop the heavily armored war machines from leveling building after building. Forced to hide from the tanks, Marina had been made to watch in the slaughter of a Darcsen family by Imperial shock troopers, who laughed as they killed the family one at a time.

Marina grimaced as the horrific images flashed through her head. Behind her, Catherine saw Marina's expression, which made her worry.

Walking up beside Marina, Catherine said, "What's wrong?"

"…"

"It's not the first time I've seen that face. What is it?"

"…I was just remembering how in Forstwald, I…"

"Marina, you mustn't blame yourself for what happened. If you had intervened, you would've been killed too."

Marina said nothing to Catherine's words. In retrospect she had done the right thing. Marina had been outnumbered five-to-one, and would only have added to the tragic losses of Forstwald if she had exposed herself.

"…Catherine, do you know why I enlisted?"

"I felt I shouldn't ask, Marina."

"It was so I could protect the weak from those who would harm them. When I joined, I swore to do whatever I could to protect those who couldn't defend themselves. But… so many times, I've failed. At Vasel, Barious, Fouzen… and Marberry… No matter how hard I try, I just can't keep to my word. Every time I fight, innocent lives are lost because I can't save them."

Catherine paused at these words for a moment, but then said with a sigh, "…Just like him…"

"What?"

"You're so much like Marcus. He also fought for that reason. But time and again, he just couldn't do what he set out to do."

"…"

"Marina, I'll tell you what I told him: you expect too much of yourself."

Marina didn't respond to this, but was left to ponder over what Catherine meant. Her concentration, however, was broken by a loud sneeze coming from Aika Thompson, who had wandered a bit too close to a set of flowers. Vyse Inglebard, a childhood friend of Aika's, handed her a tissue, which she blew her nose into.

"…Excuse me…" Marina moved away from the flowers, as she too was allergic to pollen.

At least, that what everyone else thought. Catherine, however, knew that Marina more than anything wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

* * *

It took until the next morning to reach the outskirts of Bruhl. The rest of the 3rd Regiment had been given the order to hold outside the perimeter of Bruhl while Squad Seven entered the town to secure it.

The sight of it was a mixture of happiness and sorrow to Alicia, Susie, Noce and Welkin, who all called Bruhl home. The Sister Mills, which had been wrecked at the start of the war, were still in ruins, as were countless homes and buildings.

"So this is Bruhl, huh?" said Musaad Mayfield, who the other Sevens normally called 'Musaad the Mole' for his expertise at trench warfare.

"This is it, home sweet home," said Noce, though he wasn't happy seeing Bruhl still in shambles.

"We're back…" said Welkin. "Back to where it all started."

"It's been five months since we left Bruhl," said Alicia. "Now… all but one of us is back to make this home again."

Welkin was silent as he viewed the situation. He could clearly see Imperial armor parked in the town center. To his dismay, the Imperials had also set up numerous anti-tank defenses, though he saw no sign of snipers. That didn't mean they weren't there.

Turning to the other Sevens, Welkin said, "Captain Varrot said she specifically requested this operation from General Damon."

"She said that?" asked Alicia.

"Yes. You know how she feels about him, but she begged him to give us Bruhl. She wanted us to remember why we're fighting, to help us get past Isara's death."

Alicia, not to mention the other Seven's, were left speechless at Welkin's words. Yet among the Seven's, Marina wasn't consoled by the lieutenant's words. It had been her fault Isara had died since she wasn't good enough. And compared to him, her goal was quite different, and it was a goal she had failed at time and time again.

"Let's take back our… Take back Isara's home!" Welkin shouted. This brought a rising cry from Squad Seven as they prepared for battle. Turning to face the enemy's defenses, which were also mobilizing, Welkin said, "Isara… We're taking back our home, Is! Squad Seven, move out!"

The squad moved in, with the Edelweiss and Shamrock taking point. The two tanks were quickly met by a hail of machine gun fire and rifle bullets. Alicia, Susie, and Rosie took cover behind the Edelweiss, while Largo, Jann Walker, and Nadine ducked behind the Shamrock.

"EEP, they're shooting at us, Largo!" Jann said in his usual flamboyant tone.

With a sigh, Largo said sarcastically, "You think so? I hadn't noticed!"

On the sides, the other Seven's poured into alleyways and ducked behind and into buildings. The fight quickly began to spread throughout Bruhl.

* * *

Juno Coren dashed into a dilapidated building, followed by Aisha Newman, Karl Landzaat, Lynn, and Rosina Selden. A group of six Imperial shock troopers opened fire on the group from behind a set of sandbags.

"Suppressing fire!" shouted Juno.

She then raised her rifle, taking blind-fire shots at the enemy. Aisha and Lynn quickly shot a hail of bullets at the Imperials; Lynn hit one in the head, killing him instantly. Karl tossed a grenade at the enemy, but it fell short of the sandbags and exploded harmlessly in front of them.

"They're too far!" shouted Karl. "I can't throw it that far!"

"Such a wimp," hissed the muscular Rosina. "Watch and weep!"

Rosina snatched a grenade from Karl and tossed it. The explosive landed behind the sandbags, forcing the Imperials to flee. With a powerful blast, one soldier was killed, while the sandbags were blown away. Without cover, the rest were quickly gunned down.

"Tch… no wonder you're engaged to that dark-hair," Rosina said to Karl. "You're as weak as her kind."

Karl was clearly offended by this, but was too much of a coward to say anything. Rosina could crush him like a bug if she wanted.

"Stop fighting!" yelled Aisha. "Save it for the enemy!"

With a huff, Rosina raised her lance and moved to follow Juno and Aisha to a nearby building. Karl was left cursing himself for his weakness.

At that moment, he felt Lynn's hand on his shoulder. Looking into her eyes brought a smile to his face. But then, he saw a glint of light behind her, coming from the window of a house across the street.

In horror, Karl shouted, "Lynn, get down!"

Karl shoved Lynn to the ground as a sniper round flew into the building, hitting Karl in the upper chest. He howled in pain as toppled over.

"Karl! KARL!" Lynn screamed.

Juno and Aisha heard Lynn's screams and whirled about to regroup with her. Rosina, however, did not follow.

As Aisha rushed out into the open, Juno saw the enemy sniper in the window and shouted, "Aisha, duck!"

Aisha dove for the floor as the sniper fired, missing his mark.

"Rosina, take him out!"

"Alright, alright, I got it!" Rosina yelled as she aimed her lance.

Rosina's lance flashed as a round flew out, striking the sniper's position and demolishing it and its occupant. With the threat gone, Juno and Aisha ran to help Karl and Lynn, the latter who was screaming for a medic.

"Soo… dark…" Karl moaned.

"Karl, please! Don't leave me! KARL!" Lynn cried as tears flowed down her face.

At that moment, one of the medics, Mina, showed up and quickly set her kit down next to Karl. She took out a pair of tweezers and some gauze as she worked to remove the bullet from Karl.

"Mina, please save him! Please!" Lynn said, nearly hysterical.

After examining the wound, Mina said to Lynn, "He'll be alright, Lynn. The bullet didn't hit his lungs, and I should be able to stop the bleeding."

Lynn was relieved that Karl would live, but it didn't stop her from crying.

* * *

A lancer round whistled over Vyse's head as he, Aika, Jane Turner, Audrey Heitinga, and Claudia Mann stayed crouched behind a set of sandbags. They were pinned down by at least ten assorted Imperial soldiers.

"Woooie! We're in trouble now!" Vyse said, cocky despite the circumstances.

"Vyse, this is no time for heroics!" Aika snapped, though she knew it wouldn't stop her childhood friend. He always ran headlong into challenges.

"Damn Imps…" Jane hissed. Then, to Claudia's shock, Jane sprung up from her cover, spraying bullets from her machine gun as she screamed, "Die! Die! DIE!"

Two Imperial soldiers were perforated by Jane's bullets, but a third tossed a grenade in Jane's direction, forcing her to dash away from the explosive. As Jane took cover again, Vyse noticed a pair of scouts trying move on their left flank.

"Claudia, cover the left flank!" Vyse shouted.

Nodding, Claudia moved to take her position. But as she did, a lancer round struck the floor above the group, causing the building to shake. Claudia lost her balance and shrieked as she fell flat on her face, dropping her rifle. Then, with a loud clatter, planks of wood came crashing down, burying Claudia's legs in debris.

As she tried to free herself, Claudia shouted, "Audrey, help! I'm stuck!"

Dropping her lance, Audrey rushed over to assist Claudia. Despite her svelte physique, Audrey was easily able to start removing heavy columns of wood from the pile that had trapped Claudia.

Then, Audrey heard Claudia shriek in terror. Hearing a hissing noise, Audrey looked down to see a grenade in front of Claudia, just out of the engineer's reach, but close enough to blow them both to pieces. Claudia was covering her head, awaiting the inevitable explosion that would kill her.

Audrey scrambled over to the grenade and kicked it away. The grenade exploded inches from the door, though the armor plates Audrey wore blocked most of the shrapnel. Both girls were unharmed.

As the explosion cleared, the Imperial scouts stormed into the building. What they hadn't accounted for, however, was Jane. The psychotic shock trooper laughed sadistically as she unleashed a full clip of ammunition into the two soldiers.

"You like that, huh?" Jane shouted. "Goddamn Imps!"

"Th– thanks, Jane…" Claudia said, still covering her head with her hands.

"Oh, shut up, Cursia. Do I have to do everything myself?"

Jane slid over to the spot Claudia was supposed to be guarding and fired a hail of bullets at a group of Imperials behind some sandbags. Though what Jane had said was hurtful, Claudia knew it was right. All her life, Claudia had been cursed with bad luck, which tended to have an adverse effect on others. Some of the other Seven's had nicknamed her 'Cursia' because of this.

"Don't listen to Psycho-bitch, Claudia," Audrey said cheerfully. "Now hold still and I'll have you out in no time."

"Shut it, skinny!" Jane shouted back. Audrey ignored the insult.

Watching the scene, Aika said, "Think we should do something, Vyse?"

"Nah, we've got bigger fish to fry, baby," Vyse answered.

He then shot another blind burst at the enemy so as not to expose himself. Aika did the same.

* * *

Edy shrieked as she and Homer were pursued by a field of enemy bullets. The two barged into a nearby butcher shop, where Ted Ustinov and his friend Melville Young were busy suppressing a group of five more soldiers. This came as a shock to Edy; the two jokers weren't supposed to be at that position.

Seeing Edy and Homer dart into the shop, Ted said, "Tough crowd today, huh?"

"You said it, Tedster," said Melville.

"What are you two idiots doing?" Edy screeched. "You're supposed to be guarding the back!"

"Got it covered, Edy," Ted said casually. "Say, remember that water pail joke we pulled on Nils two weeks ago?"

"Huh?" said Homer, confused. "What do you mean?"

Before Ted could answer, a pair of grenade explosions rocked the building, coming from the back entrance. Melville then said, "Ted and I came up with a special version for the Imps. Think they liked it?"

"I'd probably be lying if I said yes, Mel," said Ted with a laugh.

Edy sighed loudly at this. The tactic, though effective, wasn't funny to her.

* * *

Emile and Oscar Bielert crept through the upper floor of a partly damaged home, searching for good sniping positions and for enemy snipers. Though close combat wasn't their forte, they had been given specific orders by Welkin to search for enemy snipers. Thankfully, they had Alex Raymond with them for protection.

As Alex peered into a room, he signaled to the Bielert brothers that it was clear. The two snipers moved into the room and swung open the windows to pick their targets.

"See anything, Em?" asked Oscar.

"Nothing yet," Emile replied.

"So, what do I do?" asked Alex.

"Just watch the door and don't distract us, alright?" said Oscar.

"Right, suuure, I just looove guard duty."

Alex took his place in the adjacent hallway while Emile and Oscar searched for any targets of opportunity. Though there were plenty of enemy troops to target, the two brothers had been specifically ordered to make the Imperial snipers priority targets.

"Ugh, I can't find any of them," said Oscar.

"Cezary was always so good at finding them," said Emile.

"Don't go mentioning him, Em. He's no longer one of us."

"I know, I know. But still, you have to admit he was good at this kind of thing."

Oscar didn't say anything. Emile was right; Cezary had been the best sniper-hunter of Squad Seven before being expelled. But Oscar had never liked Cezary; despite his skill, he always looked down on the Bielert brothers as nuisances.

Then, Emile saw an Imperial sniper positioned on the stairs that wrapped around the side of the Sister Mills. Taking careful aim, Emile fired a shot. But to his dismay, the bullet missed by a few inches. The sniper, aware he was being targeted, dashed down the stairs, preventing Emile from lining up a shot.

"Dammit! I missed!"

Suddenly, Oscar looked down at the enemy below. A scout had seen them, and was directing his comrades to fire.

"Emile, get down!"

The two snipers ducked as a hail of bullets peppered their position. They were forced to crawl away from the windows; they'd have to find a new position now.

* * *

Marina slowly crept from room to room in an apartment that lined the main street of Bruhl. So far, she hadn't taken out any snipers. On the other side of the street, Catherine did the same as Marina.

Creeping up to a window, Marina saw Welkin's group slowly attempting to advance. However, a pair of anti-tank cannons kept the Edelweiss and Shamrock from moving forward safely. At the rate they were moving, it didn't look as though they were going to make it to the town center.

Marina's eyes scanned the windows and rooftops of Bruhl's buildings. Then, she saw an Imperial sniper hiding behind a chimney, aiming down at the main group. Marina took aim at the sniper with her Springfield.

But to Marina's shock, she couldn't keep her rifle straight. It continually trembled in her hand. An unfamiliar feeling seemed to wash over her: doubt. Doubt that she could really do any good in the battle. Doubt that she could live up to her goal to protect others.

What if she missed? The sniper would then be free to either escape or kill one of the others. Marina couldn't fathom it, but she couldn't deny it either. She was scared. Scared of failing the others. Scared of failing those in need. Scared of failing Gallia. Scared of failing Isara…

On the opposite side of the street, Catherine looked over and saw Marina aiming at something. But Marina hadn't fired. Concerned, Catherine looked at Marina through her scope, and was shocked to see a look of fear on her face.

Flicking on her short-range radio, Catherine said, "Marina, what's wrong? What are you doing?"

"…" Marina was silent, but Catherine could hear short, fearful breaths coming from the radio.

"Marina? Marina, talk to me! What's wrong?"

Catherine watched as Marina shut her exposed eye, clearly paralyzed in fear.

Down below, Rosie and Cherry hid behind a pair of sandbags as machine gun fire whizzed by them. The Edelweiss' cannon blared as it fired at an Imperial heavy tank, hitting its treads. Though damaged, the tank was still kicking.

Looking back at Largo and Jann, Rosie shouted, "Largo, Jann, cover us! We'll go after those guns!"

"Got it!" Largo responded. He and Jann dashed for Rosie's previous position as the lead shock trooper dashed out for a spot behind a pile of rubble with Cherry in tow.

Just then, Marina saw it. The sniper she was targeting had set his eyes on Rosie, and moved his rifle in her direction. Time seemed to slow down for Marina as it happened. Her mind screamed at her body to shoot, but she couldn't move.

"Marina! Don't just stand there!" Catherine shouted through the radio. "Do something!"

Something suddenly seemed to click for Marina. She pulled the trigger, just as the enemy sniper did.

"…"

Marina's shot had hit the sniper right between the eyes. He slumped over and fell off the roof, landing in an alley.

Now, worried about Rosie, Marina looked down at her position. Rosie was still alive, but was nursing a cut on her leg. It had been from the enemy sniper's shot.

"…No…" Marina grimaced at this sight, blaming herself for it because of her hesitation.

"Marina, did you get him?" said Catherine through the radio.

"…I got him… but… Rosie… Dammit!"

Marina pounded her fist against a wall in frustration. Catherine, seeing this, was at a loss for words.

Suddenly, Rosie's voice blared over the radio. "Hey Marina, care to cut that any closer? What the hell are you doing up there?"

"I… Dammit…!" Marina said as she pounded the wall again. "Isara, I…"

"Marina, snap out of it!" Rosie shouted. "You think you're the only one who let Isara down at Marberry?"

Marina's eyes shot open at these words.

"I was looking her in the eye when she was shot. The boss, all of us, we wanted to do something for her, but we couldn't! And somehow, you think it's alright for you to take all the blame? If you don't do anything here today, all you'll be doing is letting her down! You'll let ALL of us down! So get a grip and start shooting!"

If Rosie had slapped Marina in the face, it would've had the same effect. Any fear of failure Marina had once felt suddenly vanished, replaced by cold determination.

"…Understood…"

Raising her rifle, Marina moved to a new room and peered out into the street. Suddenly, her field of fire seemed to be filled with enemy snipers, ones she hadn't seen before. The return of her focus seemed to make them that much easier to spot now.

"…The hunt begins…"

Marina took aim at a sniper in a window and fired. The bullet went clean through his scope and skull, killing him instantly. Marina quickly reloaded and took aim at another sniper. Seconds later, the sniper toppled down to the street below with a bullet in his head.

On the ground, a scout noticed the blare of Marina's sniper rifle and shot up at the window with his rifle. Marina ducked into the window until the scout had fired off his rounds. Then, as the scout attempted to reload, Marina looked down at him, took aim, and sent a round clean through his head.

Meanwhile, the Edelweiss shuddered as an anti-tank round grazed its sloped armor. Welkin fired back at the enemy's gun emplacement, but the round missed. The Edelweiss had already taken a severe beating, and the Shamrock was also getting beat up by the enemy's cannons.

Welkin then heard his new pilot, Kreis Czherny, yelp in terror. "There's– There's too many of them! I can't– NO!"

"Stay with me, Kreis!" Welkin shouted. "Please, I need your help!"

"Welkin, I– I'm so scared! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"

"We'll make it, Kreis! We have to! For Isara's sake, we'll make it!"

At that moment, an anti-tank shell slammed into the front of the Shamrock, piercing its armor. Smoke and fire began to bellow from the tank's innards.

"Zaka! Zaka, come in!"

Over the radio, Zaka responded amidst coughs, "I'm– I'm still here, boss. But the Shamrock can't take any more of this. I gotta pull out."

"Pull back, Zaka. We'll cover your retreat."

"Roger that. Sorry, boss."

The Shamrock whined as it began to move backwards, attempting to flee the combat zone. Seeing the tank's retreat, the Imperial commander ordered both of the cannons to target the Edelweiss.

Hiding behind a building, Largo shouted to Alicia, "Someone's gotta take out those cannons, or we're finished!"

"We can't get close to them!" shouted Alicia.

From her position, Rosie winced as a burst of machine gun fire peppered her cover, slowly chipping it away. She then said, "Marina, we could REALLY use your help right now!"

"…" Marina didn't respond, which worried Rosie. What if she didn't help?

From where she stood, Marina took aim at one of the crewmembers of the anti-tank cannons. The soldier was busy loading another round into the cannon. Marina took careful aim, but not at the soldier.

"Good night…!"

Marina fired. Her round struck the now-armed shell the soldier had been loading into the cannon, setting off its payload. The explosion destroyed the cannon, killing its crew as well. The explosion also carried over to the adjacent shells, setting them off.

"…Antitank cannon destroyed…"

Amazed, Rosie said, "That'll do nicely…"

"Good job, Marina," Welkin said over the radio. "But there's still one cannon to deal with."

"I don't have a shot, sir," said Marina.

"I know. Rosie, you, Largo and Nadine have to take that cannon out. Marina, Catherine, provide sniper support. Everybody else, cover fire."

A unanimous "Roger!" was heard over the radio. Marina reloaded her rifle as she said, "…Understood, sir…"

Largo and Nadine moved up to Rosie's position as she suppressed a pair of shock troopers. Alicia, Noce, and Cherry fired at the enemy positions as best they could to suppress. Susie, however, was too petrified in fear to shoot; she had always hated killing, and even if it meant retaking Bruhl she couldn't bring herself to take a life.

From her position, Catherine spotted a sniper as he drew a bead on Noce. Catherine fired at the sniper, hitting him in the chest and killing him. But then, a sharp pain suddenly ripped through Catherine's arm. Another sniper had spotted her and hit her in the upper right arm, missing her head. But seconds later, the sniper took a hit to his head from Marina and died instantly.

Clasping the bleeding wound in her arm, Catherine grunted, "Urgh…! Sorry Marina, but I have to pull out!" Catherine then pulled back through the building, making for the village perimeter.

Marina, now on her own, looked back in Rosie's direction. She and Largo were slowly but surely making their way to the last anti-tank cannon. A heavy Gatling gun had the two pinned down, letting a pair of shock troopers move up close to them. Marina took aim at the gunner operating the Gatling gun and put a bullet through his skull.

"…Gunner neutralized…"

The gunner's companion, however, had seen Marina's shot. He quickly took control of the Gatling gun and unleashed a hail of heavy bullets at Marina's position. Marina dove to the floor to avoid being shredded.

Seeing that the gunner was distracted, Largo raised his Lancaar lance and fired at the Gatling gun. The turret was disintegrated, along with its operator. Now free to move, Rosie swung out from cover and killed the two advancing shock troopers. As Nadine reloaded Largo's Lancaar, Rosie dashed for a nearby bar and dove through a broken window. Taking cover, Rosie smirked at how her choice of cover was ironic, considering her background.

Motioning to Largo, Rosie shouted, "Get over here, you big lug! Hurry!"

Largo made a hard dash to the bar with Nadine close behind as bullets rained around them. As the two entered the building, Largo turned and saw he had a perfect shot at the second anti-tank cannon. Largo raised his lance and fired, blowing the cannon to a fiery ball of scrap.

"All clear, boss!" Largo said over the radio. "Cannon's been dealt with."

"Good job, Sevens!" Welkin replied. "Kreis, move us forward. Let's finish this!"

"R– Roger that, sir!"

The Edelweiss, though damaged, began to roll forward and fired a shell at some sandbags, blowing them away with the soldiers that hid behind them. Alicia, Noce and Cherry moved behind the Edelweiss, soon joined by Rosie, Largo, Nadine and Jann.

From her sniper perch, Marina watched as the Edelweiss began plowing through the Imperial defenses as it approached the center of town. The Imperials, with their defenses shattered, began fleeing in terror as the other Sevens began moving into the town center from other paths.

The battle was all but over. Squad Seven had won.

As Marina sat down on the floor, she sighed in relief. "…Isara… please, rest easy now…"

* * *

That night was a time of celebration for Squad Seven. Alicia was busy in the town bakery producing loaf after loaf of bread, while Melville and Ted provided laughs through a comedy routine. And around a roaring bonfire, Freesia York performed in a flowing dance before the men and women of the Gallian Militia.

Marina, however, chose to exclude herself from the festivities. She had hidden herself away in the Sister Mills, where it was dark and cold. She wanted to be alone.

"…"

Marina was still blaming herself for hesitating in the battle. Such a thing had never happened to her before, and she couldn't get past allowing herself to let it happen. If she hadn't hesitated, maybe the others wouldn't have had such difficulty in the battle.

None of the Sevens had been killed, but many were wounded. Karl Landzaat had been hospitalized from a sniper wound, but the medic Mina said he would make a full recovery. Lynn hadn't left his side since the end of the battle. Hearing news of this didn't make Marina feel any better.

"…Was this the best I could do…?" Marina pondered to herself.

"_Moink…? Moink…!_"

Marina looked down at her feet to see Hans snuggling against her leg. She picked up the porcavian and stroked his ears.

"…Hans… you were worried about me?"

"_Moi-oink!_"

Marina smiled at this response, something she wouldn't have let anyone else see.

"A lousy performance today, Wulfstan. Quite lousy."

Marina's eyes shot wide open at hearing the familiar voice. Her eyes darted around, trying to find the source. Then, she noticed her radio was still on.

As she picked up the radio, the voice said, "You've lost your touch, Wulfstan. I wouldn't have hesitated the way you did."

"…Cezary…!"

"Oh good, you remember me."

"How did you get this frequency?"

"It wasn't that hard, considering what I have to work with."

From his hiding place, Cezary Regard held a sniper rifle in his hands as he sat next to a Gallian-made handheld radio.

"Where are you, you piece of–"

"My, my, you're in a bad mood," Cezary interrupted. "You might want to pick your words more carefully. From where I'm standing, I have a perfect shot at the Sister Mills. And that includes that damn pig."

Marina froze; Cezary had her in his crosshairs. He had the perfect opportunity to kill her, and every motivation. So why didn't he shoot?

"…Why don't you get it over with, then?"

"Now? It's tempting, but killing you right now would be too easy. Besides, with all these patrols crawling around, I doubt I'd live to tell the tale. But don't worry; I'll be back for you. I'll be back very soon."

Cezary said nothing more, cutting off the transmission. Looking out the window, Marina peered around for any sign of Cezary, but found nothing.

"…"

For nearly an hour, Marina stared off into the encroaching night.

**End of Chapter 2**

Please leave reviews, newcomers.


	3. Chapter 3

Yet again, a change here or there, but nothing significant. Enjoy.

**Chapter 3: Hunter and Prey**

Squad Seven wasn't given much time to celebrate after the recapturing of Bruhl. It wasn't long before news came in that the Imperial Army was assembling at Naggiar Plains, readying themselves for a single, massive push to crush Gallia's resistance.

Thankfully, there was still time before the 3rd Regiment would need to march for Naggiar. The Seven's decided to use this time to rest up and recuperate before the campaign. At least, most of them chose to do this…

At the shooting range, Marina took aim down the range with her Springfield. As she aimed at a target, 500 meters away, her concentration was suddenly broken by the arrival of Catherine.

"Still here, I see?" Catherine said. "You've been here since breakfast. Come to think of it, did you even eat this morning?"

"…What do you want…?"

"I just came to see how you were doing."

"…"

Marina turned her attention back to her target, trying not to let Catherine distract her. Slowly squeezing the trigger, Marina fired a round clean through the middle of her target. She then aimed at another target, reloaded, and fired a shot clean through the middle. This cycle repeated three more times, with each target further and further away.

"You've been doing this for the past three days now," said Catherine. "Almost non-stop, I might add."

"What, are you worried we'll run out of bullets if I keep this up?"

"That's not funny, Marina."

"I'm not laughing."

"You never do. In fact, I don't even see you smile these days."

"…If you have a point to make, make it."

"Since you asked…" Taking a seat, Catherine said, "I'm worried that you're pushing yourself too hard, Marina."

"…That's it…?"

"Marina, you're at this shooting range all the time. At any other time, I'd be impressed by your training, but not when you're risking your health like this."

"…I had a clean shot at that sniper in Bruhl. He was dead in my sights, and I hesitated to pull the trigger…"

"Don't take it so hard, Marina. Everyone freezes up at some point in battle."

"…I can't let that happen again… I won't let it happen again…"

"And somehow this is going to help you do that?"

"…Yes…"

Catherine didn't know what else she could say to Marina. There was pretty much no reaching her, so Catherine got to her feet and solemnly left the shooting range. As she did, she heard Marina fire several more shots.

"…You foolish girl…" Catherine murmured sadly.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Marina finished her training at the shooting range. She had spent around three boxes of ammunition, much to the ire of Fort Amatriain's Quartermaster. Still, the man knew better than to argue with Marina over the issue.

As Marina made for Squad Seven's hangar, she saw Welkin, Alicia, Rosie, Largo, Zaka and Juno all looking at a map of Gallia. Marina walked up to them to find out what was going on.

"Ah, just in time," Largo said to Marina. "The boss was about to send someone to get you."

"What's this about?" Marina asked.

"We're heading to an area east of Fouzen to search for a group of Imperial Darcsen Hunters," said Welkin. "Rosie insisted that we take this mission and, well…"

"…Understood, sir…"

Marina took a look at the map and various photos as the other officers of Squad Seven discussed how they should proceed with the operation.

* * *

East of Fouzen, a platoon-sized convoy of Imperial troops had set up a camp for the night. A few scouts and snipers were on lookout for any enemy activity.

The leader of the Darcsen Hunters, Lieutenant Dietrich, paced around a trio of transport trucks that contained dozens of Darcsen prisoners. Many were sick, wounded… or worse. But they were all scared for their lives. And it wasn't just the men; women, children and the elderly were among the prisoners.

Dietrich reeled as he approached the rear flaps of one of the trucks. To him, the scent was unbearable. He choked slightly on the air.

"It's a wonder they don't suffocate each other, isn't it?" said a snide voice.

Turning to the source, Dietrich saw a gray-haired soldier with a large sniper rifle in his hands. Dietrich was wary of this soldier; he was a Gallian turncoat who had only joined the Imperial Army recently. Even though he had helped considerably in assaulting the last two villages, there was no telling whether he could be trusted.

"I personally don't see why you bother with the old ones," said the sniper. "They'll give at most a few hours working in the mines before they're corpses."

"Our orders were to round up any Darcsens capable of labor and to bring them back to the foundries across the border," said Dietrich.

"That's my point. Those old ones are dead weight; you should get rid of them."

"You'd be smart to remember your place, Gallian. You're only here because I need all the manpower I can get to transport these… animals."

"Tch, fine by me. But when they start dying, don't say I didn't warn you about the smell. The only thing that smells worse than a Darcsen is a dead one."

"And how do I know I can trust you, hmm? You just come up out of nowhere and ask to join us? How do I know you're not a spy?"

"…"

The turncoat soldier got to his feet and strode away from the transports. Dietrich grimaced watched as the sniper disappeared into the shadows. He didn't even know this one's name, but knew he had to keep an eye on him.

* * *

The wind whistled over a ravine to the east of Fouzen the next day. The ravine was littered with stone formations, arranged like a maze.

Over his radio, Welkin said, "Alicia, any sign of the enemy yet?"

Alicia's voice said over the radio, "Nothing yet, Welkin."

A second later, Rosie said into her radio, "Are you sure they'll come this way, boss?"

"I'm sure," Welkin answered. "This pass is the only road to Ironfield Village. And with so many places to hide, we should be able to ambush them easily."

"You said they'll have Darcsen prisoners?" asked Edy.

"It's likely. Everyone is to watch their aim, especially around any transport vehicles the enemy might have. We're here to help the Darcsens, not harm them. If there are any prisoners, they are to be protected as a top priority."

Crouching behind a set of bushes, Marina watched the road through her sniper scope. Catherine was stationed a few meters from Marina. The EWI veteran took several glances at Marina as they watched the road. She was a lot paler than usual. She hadn't been taking care of herself like Catherine had asked.

Suddenly, Marina noticed that Catherine was staring at her. Marina glared back at Catherine, who sheepishly returned to watching the road.

But as Marina set her eye back to the sniper scope, Catherine said, "Marina, are you alright?"

"…"

"How are you holding up?"

"…"

Catherine realized that Marina didn't want to talk, so she didn't ask anything else.

* * *

An Imperial medium tank rolled forward at the front of the column, escorted by four shock troopers. Behind the tank, the three transport trucks rolled on under escort of the other Darcsen Hunters. Two mortar tanks rolled behind the transports. At the rear of the convoy was another medium tank, in which Dietrich sat in the turret.

Dietrich was in a bad mood at that time. The Gallian sniper in his crew had seemingly disappeared in the night. This worried Dietrich, as it was likely that the sniper was a spy. If that were true, his position would've been compromised by now. And considering his forces were in a narrow corridor, he'd be a sitting duck.

Suddenly, a voice came in over the tank's radio. "Lieutenant Dietrich, are you listening to this frequency?"

Recognizing the voice of the Gallian turncoat, Dietrich flicked on his radio and said, "You! Where the hell are you, you sniveling weasel?"

"Right now, I'm about half a klick ahead of you at the top of this pass, looking down at your little convoy. I'm also looking down at a platoon-sized Gallian force waiting to ambush you and your men in the ravine ahead. They're hiding in the rocks."

Snarling, Dietrich said, "I should've guessed you were a spy, you rat!"

"Jumping to conclusions a little quickly, aren't we, lieutenant? If I were a spy, why would I be telling you about the ambush?"

Dietrich grimaced at this. The sniper had a valid point. Dietrich then said, "What are you trying to pull, Gallian?"

"The Gallian force in the ravine ahead of you is none other than Squad Seven of the 3rd Regiment. Let's just say I have a beef with their commanding officer, and I'd appreciate seeing someone put him into the dirt."

"So you intend to use us to do it?"

"If you want to think of it that way, sure. Of course, you could always turn your forces around and flee the area, if you're not up for the risk."

Dietrich snarled at these words. The Gallian sniper intended to use him and his forces as a bullet sponge. Still, Dietrich had strict orders to ransack Ironfield Village. He wasn't about to turn tail and flee.

"I'm not about to run away just because of a motley group of peasants!" Dietrich growled.

"I thought as much," said the sniper. "But, if you want my advice, I suggest that you put your transports at the front of your formation once you enter the ravine."

"Eh?"

"The leader of Squad Seven's a real Darcsen-lover. He won't risk hurting them if he can help it. Use the trucks as shields against their tanks and lancers, and shell the enemy with mortar fire. You should be able to thin out their ranks a bit before they reach you, and they'll have to cross a considerable distance to get up close to your tanks."

"Tch…"

"You can do things your way if you want, of course. That's just how I'd do it. It's up to you, Dietrich. In the meantime, I'll be watching the battle from up here."

Static filled Dietrich's headset as the radio connection was severed. Dietrich took a moment to ponder the Gallian's suggestion.

* * *

A few minutes later, Alicia saw an Imperial medium tank exiting the northern pass. It was flanked by at least four shock troopers.

Using her radio, Alicia said, "Enemy sighted. One tank with troop support. Wait… there's more. I see two– no, three transport trucks. Two mortars and another tank bringing up the rear. At least forty soldiers total."

As Alicia finished reporting her sightings, Welkin said, "Alright everyone, get ready. Once they enter the rocks, we attack. Remember, watch your fire."

Rosie cocked her Mags MXX as she hid behind a large boulder next to Vyse and Aika. As Vyse readied his machine gun, he said, "Time to dance!"

"You said it, Vyse!" Aika replied.

As the rest of Squad Seven readied themselves, Alicia continued to watch the approaching convoy. Then, to her surprise, the transport trucks began to shift positions, moving in front of the tanks and infantry.

Switching on her radio, Alicia said, "Welkin, something's wrong."

"What is it?" asked Welkin.

"The transports… they're moving in front of the tanks."

"What?"

The transports moved so they were perpendicular to the rocks, providing a wide amount of coverage for the Imperial troops. Behind the trucks, the mortars shifted their cannons upwards.

"Maybe they're just stopping for a break," said Rosie.

"I dunno," Largo added. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

As if on cue, the Imperial mortars fired, sending high explosive rounds arcing through the air at Squad Seven's position.

"INCOMING!" Edy screamed as she and Homer dashed away from their hiding place. Seconds later, the boulder they were hiding behind was demolished.

The Sevens scattered to the oncoming rounds. They were now exposed to the enemy, something Welkin precisely didn't want.

As she pressed herself behind a boulder, Rosie shouted, "What the hell? How'd they know we were here?"

"How should I know?" Largo bellowed.

"Squad Seven, engage the enemy!" Welkin shouted over the radio. "They're looking for a fight, so we might as well give them one! Zaka, take your team and flank them from the east side!"

"On my way!" said Zaka. The Shamrock moved out to flank the Imperial force.

"Everybody else, advance through the rocks! We need to get in closer to those mortars!"

"You got it, boss!" Rosie shouted. "Vyse, Aika, follow me!"

Rosie ran hard from boulder to boulder with Vyse and Aika in tow as shells rained down. The three were quickly joined by Juno, Elysse, and Aisha. On the other side of the road, Largo led Edy, Homer, Jane, Ted, and Nancy through the maze of stone. At the rear of Squad Seven's formation, the Edelweiss rolled forward, followed by Alicia, Melville, Dallas, Hector, and Claudia.

From her position, Marina aimed at the enemy formation. The Imperials were doing an unusually good job hiding behind the trucks, and Marina assumed anyone inside the trucks was a friendly. After a moment, one Imperial foolishly stuck his head out to take a potshot at Rosie's group. Centering her crosshairs, Marina shot him in the head. The rest of the Imperials took cover to avoid being sniped.

Rosie's group was quick to reach the end of the stone maze, but was quickly met by a hail of bullets from one of the tanks. The group ducked behind the rocks, unable to take potshots. They couldn't risk hitting the transports.

Rosie suddenly heard a number of screams. Turning, she realized they were coming from the transport trucks. It was the Darcsen prisoners. Rosie wanted to rush in and help them so badly, but knew it would be an early grave for her if she did.

Inside his tank, Dietrich laughed as he said, "Looks like that weasel was right after all." He then said through the radio, "Keep shelling their positions! Blast them out of the rocks and finish them off!"

Two more mortar rounds flew out, smashing into the rocks at the end of the maze. Aika shrieked as pieces of shrapnel tore into her left shoulder and leg. Vyse was the first to aid her, pulling her away from the battle.

"…Vyse…"

"Aika, baby! It's alright now!" Vyse shouted. Fina showed up soon to patch Aika up.

Rosie fired a burst from her submachine gun, trying to suppress the enemy. But with the Darcsens so close, she had to pick her shots carefully.

Ducking back behind cover, Rosie shouted over the radio, "We can't hit them from here! Boss, we need cover, now!"

"Hang in there, Sevens!" Welkin shouted. "I'm almost there!"

On the other side of the road, Jane roared as she fired wildly at the Imperials, but she dealt more damage to the trucks than to the enemy.

"Die, Imps! DIE!" Jane screeched.

Grabbing her by the collar, Largo yanked Jane back as he shouted, "Watch your fire, psycho! You're gonna hit a friendly!"

From behind the trucks, the Imperials shot back at Squad Seven. One soldier fired his ZM MP as he shouted, "Keep them pinned down! Keep them– AGH!"

A sniper round from Marina hit the soldier in the head, killing him. But seconds later, Marina saw an enemy sniper fire back at her, though the shot missed and hit a tree. Marina ducked her head down as she moved to a new position. Catherine followed her as she moved.

"Well, this wasn't in the plan," Catherine said almost jokingly.

"…Keep moving…"

In the ravine, the rest of Squad Seven suppressed the enemy as the Edelweiss rolled forward. Looking to the Edelweiss, Rosie shouted, "About damn time! We're getting blown to bits out here!"

"Be ready to move in on my mark, Sevens!"

As the Edelweiss raised its cannon, Nancy screamed as she took a bullet to her thigh, dropping her to the ground. As her rifle hit the ground, it discharged a round, nearly hitting Alicia in her side. Alicia saw as the bullet impacted in front of her on the Edelweiss' armor, and turned to see Nancy was being helped by Largo.

"S– Sorry!" Nancy shouted sheepishly. Alicia smiled back, assuring Nancy that she was unharmed.

The Edelweiss fired a smoke round out in front of the transports, engulfing the Imperial troops in a thick haze. As the Imperials choked on the air, Rosie shouted, "Let's get in there, guys!"

Rosie was the first to dash out at the enemy, followed by many of the others. As bullets rained around her, Rosie zigzagged left and right to avoid being hit. Within about ten seconds, Rosie had sided up against one of the transports, and was quickly joined by Juno and Aisha.

"You both alright?" Rosie said to Juno and Aisha.

"We're fine," Juno replied. "What now?"

"After me, kiddos!"

Rosie flicked a switch on her Mags, lighting a flame in front of her Flame Flail. She then swung around the rear of the transport and sprayed a pair of Imperial soldiers with fire, incinerating them. One tried to grab Rosie as he burned, but she swiftly kicked the Imperial away.

But at that moment, Rosie heard a cry come from another Imperial. This one rushed at her with a bayonet. Rosie pulled the trigger for her Flame Flail, but nothing happened. She was out of fuel. Before she could react, a bullet struck the Imperial in the head. He fell onto his back as he died.

As Rosie saw the Imperial perish, a voice over the radio said, "…Target eliminated…"

Realizing Marina had saved her life, Rosie said, "Thanks, Marina."

On the other side of the transport wall, Jane readied her Flame Flail as she dashed around the corner. She howled, "BURN!" as she sprayed wildly, engulfing two soldiers in flames.

But at that moment, one of the Imperial tanks aimed in Jane's direction and fired a shell into the ground in front of her. The explosion blew Jane off her feet as three pieces of shrapnel dug into her.

Jane howled in rage as Edy grabbed her and dragged the crazed shock trooper back behind the transport. Jane clearly didn't want to stop fighting, but she was too wounded to continue.

"Damn… Imps…!"

"Will you stop squirming?" Edy shouted. "Homer, do something!"

"I'm trying, Miss Edy!" Homer said as he tried to apply Ragnaid to Jane's wounds.

At that moment, another pair of Imperial shock troopers ran out to attack Edy and Homer. Edy, not expecting it, shrieked in panic. But as one of the shock troopers was about to pull the trigger, a rifle round struck him in the head. The other trooper, surprised by this, momentarily lost his situational awareness. It was a fatal mistake; Homer used the time to pull out his pistol and shot the man in the chest three times, killing him.

Back in the rocks, Welkin watched as Squad Seven began to close in on the Imperial force. Outside the Edelweiss, Alicia said, "Welkin, we can't get to the mortars with those tanks in the way!"

"Kreis, move us forward," Welkin said to his pilot. "Let's take them out!"

Alicia watched as the Edelweiss moved forward. Then, she heard a familiar voice over the radio as it said, "Got you right where I want you, Gunther."

"What the?" said Welkin, also having heard the voice on his radio.

"See you in hell, boss."

From her position, Marina's eyes widened as she heard the familiar voice. She couldn't have mistaken it; it was Cezary.

Suddenly, a loud boom sounded through the ravine. Alicia shrieked as she was blown back by an explosion on the Edelweiss' left side. Pushing herself up, Alicia looked in horror as she saw a hole in the side of the Edelweiss' turret.

"W– Welkin…?" Alicia stammered, unable to believe what she was seeing. "WELKIN!"

Alicia scrambled to climb up the side of the Edelweiss, aided by Dallas. Reaching the top of the tank, Alicia pulled open the hatch. Looking inside, Alicia was met by a horrible sight. Welkin, though alive, had shrapnel dug into his left side in several places. Blood was seeping from the injuries.

"MEDIC! MEDIC!" Alicia screamed. "Welkin, hang on!"

At that moment, crouched next to one of the Imperial transports, Juno looked on at the wounded Edelweiss in silent terror. Alicia's cries for a medic meant one thing: Welkin had been hit. She couldn't see how bad the damage was from her position, and it took every last bit of restraint she had to stop herself from running to Welkin's side, an action that would surely result in a quick death for her. Juno shut her eyes painfully; all she could do was pray that Welkin would be alright.

Welkin grunted as he looked down at Kreis and said, "Get us… behind the rocks…"

"Y– Yes sir!" Kreis said in a panic.

The Edelweiss began to move in reverse. At that moment, a second bang ripped through the ravine, and a second explosion rocked the Edelweiss, blowing a hole in its plating. Thankfully, the damage wasn't enough to stop the Edelweiss from safely retreating back into the rocks.

From behind a large rock, Marina saw where the shot had been fired from, and aimed at the location. There was an Imperial helmet sticking out of the bushes. Marina fired. Her shot went clean through the helmet, but to Marina's shock, it spun in circles. It wasn't affixed to a man's head.

Then, over the radio, Marina heard a laugh as Cezary said, "Nice try, Wulfstan. A little trick I read up on. I think your old man invented it."

Marina grimaced to this taunt. It was true; Marina's father, Marcus, had invented the "helmet decoy" trick during EWI while battling another sniper. He had used it to locate his enemy more easily. Now, Marina had fallen prey to the same trick.

As Marina slid open the loading chamber on her rifle, Cezary said over the radio, "Too slow, Wulfstan."

Marina looked up just in time to see a heavy sniper round fly at her. The round slammed into the rock in front of her and exploded. Marina screamed as she was blown back by a shower of rocks and shrapnel.

Her ears ringing, Marina lay on her side, trying to reach for her rifle. She was bruised, dizzy, and had a few cuts, but was otherwise fine. Seconds later, Catherine came running up, though Marina couldn't understand her muffled words. After a few seconds, though, Marina's hearing began to return.

"…Ow…"

Relieved to know that Marina was alright, Catherine said, "Oh, thank God! Come on, we have to move, now!"

"…My rifle… where is it?"

Catherine picked up Marina's Springfield and handed it to her. It had a few nicks in its structure, but was mostly undamaged. Marina took hold of the rifle.

Suddenly, Marina heard Cezary's voice from Catherine's radio. His grunts and murmurs suggested he was having difficulty with something. Marina figured that Cezary was likely having mechanical problems.

In his hiding space on the western cliffs, Cezary hissed, "Come on, you piece of crap! URGH, DAMMIT!"

Cezary's sniper cannon had become completely inoperable. The casing to his last round had become jammed in the loading chamber, preventing the rifle from being reloaded. As if that weren't bad enough, Cezary was scowling over how his round hadn't flown straight. Technically, he had missed Marina by a few inches.

Cezary then heard something he never expected over his radio: laughter. Marina was laughing at him, something she had never done before. For _anyone_…

"You missed, Cezary," said Marina.

Squatting next to Marina, Catherine was stunned to see Marina laughing. It was something she hadn't seen from her since Marina was a little girl. Catherine smiled at seeing this, but Marina quickly noticed and stopped her chuckles. Catherine, however, didn't stop smiling.

In his hiding spot, Cezary was infuriated at having one of his previous insults thrown back at him. But with his rifle jammed, he couldn't continue to fight. His only option was to flee the area.

At that moment, Cezary turned upon hearing another tank cannon being fired. The Shamrock, accompanied by Nadine, Wavy, Audrey, Coby, and Freesia, was moving in on the Darcsen Hunters' east flank.

The Shamrock's shot slammed into the treads of Dietrich's tank, blowing them to scrap. The turret of Dietrich's tank rotated and fired back at the Shamrock, but the speedy tank evaded the shot. Seconds later, a Lancaar round from Audrey flew at the tank. Dietrich howled as his tank burst into flames, incinerating him.

Within a few seconds, another Lancaar round from Largo destroyed the second Imperial tank. Shots from Squad Seven's lancers and the Shamrock quickly turned the mortars into piles of scrap. Cezary watched as the last of the Darcsen Hunters were taken down. None of them had attempted to surrender.

Yet again, Squad Seven was the victor.

Scowling, Cezary flicked on his radio and said, "Consider yourself lucky, Wulfstan. It won't happen twice."

With that, Cezary crawled away from the scene, so as not to expose himself.

As she watched the rest of Squad Seven as they freed the Darcsens, Marina wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She had had a brush with death only a few minutes ago, something that made her feel both alive, and very much mortal. She had only survived by the skin of her teeth.

* * *

Later that evening, Squad Seven was enjoying themselves in Ironfield Village. The townsfolk, grateful that they had been saved from the Darcsen Hunters, had prepared a large dinner for the Sevens. In addition, somewhat to the squad's detriment, the villagers had also brought out a significant supply of various liquors. This was a disappointment to some of the younger Sevens, who were too young to drink alcohol.

As she helped herself to a bowl of stew, Marina looked around at the many Darcsen prisoners Squad Seven had saved. Not a one had been killed in the battle, though some had been injured. Seeing such success warmed Marina's normally-cold heart.

Then, to her surprise, she heard Ted Ustinov come up behind her and say, "You were really laughing, Marina?"

Marina groaned as she turned to face Ted. The jokester had made it a goal of his to make her smile, something that thoroughly annoyed her. He probably had heard her laugh over the radio during the battle.

"Don't try and deny it, Marina," Ted said jovially. "I heard you laughing in that battle!"

"That you did, Teddy," said Melville. "And to think all it took was a shell blowing up in her face!"

Ted and Melville laughed at this, though Marina made a point not to join in. But many of the others had heard Ted and Melville, and now were joining in on the conversation. They all began questioning Marina on whether she had actually laughed.

After a moment, Marina stared at Ted and said, "Maybe I did, Ted. But I still think your jokes are crap."

As Marina got up to leave, Ted's face turned to one of disappointment. "Jeez… that's just cold, Marina…"

The other Sevens were left to laugh at Ted as Marina walked off. She made her way through the crowds of people and headed toward the inn. Unsurprisingly to Marina, Juno was standing outside, listening to Welkin's voice while he was communicating with Captain Varrot. A number of the Sevens knew of Juno being an old friend of Welkin's, but Marina was one of the few who knew that she had feelings for him. Time and again, Juno had gone to Catherine for advice; Marina had chosen not to speak of it since she didn't really care about it.

Ignoring Juno, Marina entered the inn. Welkin, who was seated in front of a long-range radio, had several bandages covering his left side, but Fina had told him the wounds would heal quickly.

"Our mission was a success, Captain Varrot," said Welkin. "The Darcsen Hunter group as been eliminated and their prisoners were freed with zero casualties."

"Good work, Lieutenant Gunther," Varrot said over the radio. "When your squad returns, I'll want to hear more of the details."

"Captain, there's something I need to discuss with you. Right now."

"What is it?"

Welkin sighed, and then said, "The Darcsen Hunters… Cezary Regard was working with them."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, ma'am," Marina said, interrupting Welkin. "He was assisting the Darcsen Hunters, and caused significant damage to the Edelweiss during the battle. Presently, he is alive and unaccounted for."

"Marina…"

"Corporal Wulfstan," said Varrot. "Please continue. The more we can learn the better."

Taking a seat, Marina began to tell Captain Varrot everything she knew about the battle, focusing on Cezary's involvement. After around ten minutes, Marina was finished with her report.

Sighing, Varrot said, "This is unfortunate. Cezary Regard is a dangerous man to be working with the Empire."

"What do you mean?" asked Welkin.

"Like you, Lieutenant Gunther, Cezary had the credentials necessary to be an officer in the Gallian army. The only thing that kept him from such a position was his disrespect for his superiors. He got continually bumped down in rank because he got into arguments with superior officers, including myself."

"…What are you getting at, Captain?" Marina asked.

"Despite his attitude, Cezary Regard scored highly in battlefield tactics. He'd probably be a match even for you, Lieutenant."

"That would explain how they managed to draw us in so well," said Welkin. "Using the prisoners as a living shield… morality aside, it was an effective tactic. He knew I wouldn't risk their safety."

"Regrettably, we cannot afford to concern ourselves with him. There is still the upcoming Naggiar campaign, something I will need Squad Seven for. Lieutenant, as soon as you are able, you are to return to Randgriz. Varrot out."

The radio went silent. Welkin turned to Marina and said, "Marina–"

"I'm fine, sir," Marina said.

As Marina went for her room, Welkin said, "Catherine said you haven't been catching up on sleep lately. Please, try to get some rest up there. I can't have you fainting on me in battle."

"I'll be–"

"That's an order, corporal. Dismissed."

"…Yes sir…"

Although irked that Catherine had told Welkin about her sleepless nights, Marina decided to comply with the order and headed for her room.

**End of Chapter 3**

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	4. Chapter 4

Here's where things get ugly for Marina. Those of you who've read this chapter know what's coming. To those who don't, enjoy.

**Chapter 4: The Clash at Naggiar**

The Plains of Naggiar… of all the places in Gallia, no other had seen as much conflict. Trenches marred the wasteland as dust and smoke permeated the air, making it hard to breathe. No birds or beasts called these plains home.

And again, the wastes were engulfed in battle.

Tanks and soldiers littered the plains, firing shells and bullets at one another. Gallian and Imperial soldiers scrambled over their dead to try and gain even slight inches of ground. Piles of scrap that were once tanks burned in mounds. Blood ran in small streams down the slopes, creating red pools in the craters made by shells and rockets.

Standing atop an Imperial heavy tank was a silver-haired woman bearing a Ragnite lance and shield, surrounded by an aura of blue flame. Selvaria Bles watched as a group of Gallian tanks made a charge at her central force.

"Tanks at 0-1-5. Gallian forces approaching!" said an Imperial scout who stood next to Selvaria. "Approximately two regiments!"

"Silly fools…" Selvaria said as she raised her lance, pointing it at the approaching tanks. Smirking, she then said, "Now feel the power of the Valkyrur."

Energy began to swirl around the cobalt lance. Thrusting the lance forward, Selvaria unleashed a devastating beam of energy. The blast pierced through one of the tanks, annihilating it and several other tanks in its proximity.

As her victims burned, Selvaria leapt forward and landed elegantly on the ground.

"My Lord Maximilian… This time we will win. I promise you."

With a shout, Selvaria charged forward at the Gallian tanks.

* * *

Marina stood atop a hill as she watched the raging battle off in the distance. The sight brought a feeling of tension to her. Gallia was clearly losing due to General Damon's foolhardy attack plan. The Imperials outnumbered and outgunned Gallia's Army significantly. And then there was the Empire's champion…

Peering into the distance, Marina saw her. A woman surrounded by blue flame, slashing through tanks and men like they were less than air. Marina remembered her well: Brigadier General Selvaria Bles, the Valkyria of the Empire.

Marina grimaced as she watched Selvaria tear through the Gallian Regulars. The sight of her was a painful reminder to Marina of the Battle at Barious Ruins.

* * *

_Marina ducked behind a ruined wall to avoid a hail of bullets. On the other side of the wall, about fifty meters away, was the largest tank Marina had ever seen. Or rather, the largest Squad Seven had ever seen. It was the Batomys, one of Prince Maximilian's super weapons._

_Against such a behemoth, Marina's GSR was useless. And since Maximilian was inside the gigantic tank, there was no chance of shooting him. But thankfully, other members of Squad Seven were managing to damage the tank. Two of the Batomys' crucial radiators were damaged, causing smoke to billow from its vents. Welkin had left it to Marina and the other snipers to deal with the Batomys' infantry escorts._

_Behind other ruined walls, the other Sevens hid from the Batomys. The Edelweiss rolled alongside the dreadnought firing shell after shell at it. Marina watched as Largo and Hector fired a pair of Lancaar rounds at a large ruined wall, which toppled over in front of the Batomys and blocked its path._

_It was all part of Welkin's plan. By forcing Maximilian to fire the Batomys' main cannon, he would be forced to expose the dreadnought's radiators. Squad Seven would then destroy them, causing the Batomys to overheat and break down. And it was working._

_But then, Marina heard a scream come in over the radio. It was from Squad Five, who was manning the north-western approach to the Barious Ruins. They were being overrun by Imperial reinforcements._

_Among the screams and chatter, Marina made out the words, "What is she? She's unstoppable!" The rest was relatively the same in meaning._

_A bullet ricocheted off the ruined wall next to Marina. Whipping around, Marina saw a scout taking potshots at her, but his aim was lacking. Marina carefully lined up a shot and put a bullet into the scout's head._

_An explosion to the north caught Marina's attention. Turning, she saw columns of smoke arising from Squad Five's position. Several soldiers from Squad Five ran out of the smoke and dust as bullets flew around them. One soldier turned and fired a machine gun wildly into the cloud._

_Then, to Marina's shock, a woman surrounded by blue flames charged out of the cloud with incredible speed, bearing a cobalt lance and shield in her hands. Rushing at the Gallian shock trooper, she impaled the soldier with her lance, killing him in an instant. As the soldier's body disintegrated, she directed the lance at the other soldiers, firing blue blasts of Ragnite energy at them. Three more of Squad Five perished as they took blasts to the back._

_Marina could only stare on at the scene, scared. She couldn't remember the last time she had been afraid of something, but this woman, Selvaria Bles, was terror incarnate. It was unnerving watching her cut down men like a scythe to wheat._

_And yet, despite being afraid of the azure woman, Marina still chose to attack._

_Kneeling on one knee, Marina took aim at Selvaria with her GSR. She hadn't noticed Marina from such a distance, but Marina couldn't get a clean shot because she was moving too much._

"…_Come on… Hold still…"_

_It was as if Marina's words had been heard. Selvaria stopped to raise her lance and fired a powerful blast at a pair of Gallian shock troopers behind a ruined wall, blowing it and the two soldiers away._

_Marina couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. She fired._

_Selvaria was suddenly alerted to the shot. She leaned to dodge the shot, which grazed her cheek. Selvaria grimaced as blood began to ebb down her cheek._

"_What…?" Marina could not believe that her shot had been evaded._

_Marina quickly pulled open the loading chamber to her GSR to slide in a new bullet, but Selvaria had spotted her already._

"_Hmm, impressive…" Selvaria purred._

_Marina loaded a new round into her GSR and fired at Selvaria. Selvaria swiftly swung her shield at the bullet, deflecting it._

_Directing her lance at Marina, she added, "Fool… you dare to spurn the wrath of a scion of the Valkyrur?"_

_Marina looked up just in time to see a blast of cobalt energy fly at her. Marina ducked in time to avoid being hit directly, but the blast struck the ruined wall she had been using for cover. The blast caused the wall to crumble down on top of Marina, trapping her legs and torso under the debris._

"…_urgh… dammit…!"_

_Pinned down under the rubble, Marina could only watch as Selvaria dashed off in the direction of the Batomys._

* * *

Marina shook her head as she snapped back to her current whereabouts. She watched as Selvaria thrust her lance into a Gallian tank, blowing apart its insides and its occupants. She then spun around and slashed through three more Gallian Regulars in quick succession.

As Marina continued to watch the devastation Selvaria was causing, a hand clasped her shoulder from behind. Marina instinctively knew who it was, and turned to see Catherine.

"You're not going to hit her from here, you know," said Catherine. She already knew what was going through Marina's head at the moment.

"…Someone has to put a stop to her, Catherine…"

"Marina, I know what you're thinking. Please, don't try to be a hero. You'll only get yourself killed."

"I underestimated her last time–"

"And you're underestimating her now. Marina, none of us know just what that woman is capable of. It would be suicide to try and take her on."

"…"

"Marina, promise me you won't go after her."

Marina knew Catherine was right. Selvaria was blowing away tanks and whole squads like they were ants. She had only gotten lucky in their last encounter.

"…I'll try…"

"I don't like that answer, Marina, but I'll accept it. Now come on, we'll be needed when the attack starts."

"…Understood…"

Marina took a last look at Selvaria's rampage before turning to follow Catherine.

* * *

"All groups, report in!" Welkin said over the radio.

"This is Alicia on the west flank," said Alicia. "We're all set, Welkin."

"Rosie here. East group is ready. Just say the word, boss."

"Center group here," said Largo. "Ready when you guys are."

With a short laugh, Rosie added, "Guess we're all set to waltz right up to the gates of Heaven. Say hi to Isara when you see her."

Several of the others couldn't help but laugh at Rosie's sardonic sense of humor. It was really the only thing making the reality of the mission any lighter.

The mission itself was clearly suicidal: an approximately 100 meter dash across an open plain into a network of Imperial trenches, without tank support, while long-range mortar rockets were set to rain death down on the plains. The objective was to destroy three Imperial bunkers, one which was directing the long-range mortar rockets. Fortunately, the Sevens had one advantage: the mortar rockets, upon impacting, would create a thick dust cloud that would temporarily mask the squad's approach.

Marina knelt in the trenches next to Catherine. The two snipers weren't to be part of the charge, since there would be a great deal of close-quarters combat. Instead, they would be providing whatever support they could from the Gallian side of the trenches. It suited Marina fine; she had no wish to get into a knife fight with some of the Empire's best shock troopers.

Peering through her scope at the other side, Marina could see a number of targets, but she had been given strict orders not to fire until the charge started.

Next to Marina, Catherine said, "Back here again… I thought I'd never have to come back to Naggiar…"

"…You were here before?"

"Yes, back in EWI. To think it's only been twenty years…"

Suddenly, Marina noticed that Catherine's eyes were beginning to well up with tears. Then, Catherine reached for her belt satchel and produced a set of nametags. Marina looked at the name: Pamela Coren.

Marina knew who the tags belonged to: Juno Coren's mother. Pamela had been Catherine's best friend twenty years ago, but was killed in action. According to Catherine's story, Pamela had died in an enemy attack while Catherine had watched, unable to do anything due to a lack of ammunition. It was what made Catherine so worrisome about having spare ammo available.

"Pam… I'm so sorry…" Catherine sighed. "I promise you, I won't let it happen again."

Catherine stashed away the nametags and readied her GSR-XX, having recomposed herself.

Then, seconds later, Marina heard several loud cannon shots off in the distance, behind the Imperial lines. Seconds later, Marina watched as dozens of long-range rockets streaked through the sky. Within about thirty seconds, the rockets crashed down on the plains, spreading fire and shrapnel.

As the last of the rockets crashed down and the waves of fire passed, dust and ash enveloped the plains. It was time to attack.

Over his radio, Welkin shouted, "Squad Seven, move out!"

Marina raised her Springfield as she watched the three groups surge out of the trenches and began their charge into the dust.

At the front of her group, Rosie charged through the clouds of dust and ash, her Flame Flail ready. Behind her were Vyse, Lynn, Ramona, Jann, and Claudia, along with five soldiers from the Gallian Regulars. Bullets tore through the clouds of dust whizzing past the Sevens. Two of the Gallian Regulars were killed by the spray of bullets. A shot grazed Rosie's cheek, but she didn't stop charging.

"Ain't no stoppin' me!"

Emerging from the dust, Rosie jumped at the trenches, roaring as she unleashed a stream of fire from her Flame Flail. Terrified, the Imperial soldiers scattered from the flames. Three soldiers screamed as they were burned alive. As Rosie's Flame Flail ran out of fuel, the others in her group emerged from the dust and ducked into the trenches, shooting the Imperials in the back as they fled.

Whistling, Vyse said, "Damn, Rosie. Don't tell me you're taking notes from Jane now."

Before Rosie could respond, the group heard the oncoming whine of the Empire's long-range rockets. "Everybody down!" Rosie shouted as she ducked her head.

The rest of Rosie's group followed suit, ducking down into the trench as the rocket barrage slammed down, scorching the plains. Luckily, the flames passed just over the trench, sparing Rosie's group a gruesome fate.

As the flames from the rockets passed, Vyse said, "Whoo… that was too close!"

Over their radio earpieces, Welkin said, "All groups, report in!"

"We're all here, boss," said Largo, much to Rosie's relief.

"We've made it, Welkin," said Alicia. "Hector took a hit to the leg. He'll need a medic once we take out the bunker."

"We made it to the gates, boss," Rosie said jokingly. "All Sevens present and accounted for."

"Good work, squad!" said Welkin. "Now knock out those bunkers!"

Turning to her group, Rosie shouted, "You heard the boss! Let's move!"

Rosie took point as the group moved through the trenches, heading toward the rear of the eastern bunker. One of the Regulars tried to climb up out of the trench, but the bunker's Gatling Guns quickly perforated him.

Ramona, who was behind Rosie, then said, "Ugh! My uniform's getting all dirty! And my hair–"

"Save it, Private!" Rosie snapped. "Just keep moving!"

Then, at the rear of the group, Vyse said, "Hey guys, I think we've got company!"

Turning, Rosie saw a group of shock troopers enter the trenches and open fire on the group. The two Gallian Regulars, who were behind Vyse, were quickly gunned down by ZM MP B's. Vyse quickly fired a volley back at the Imperials, shooting one dead in the chest, while Lynn shot a second one in the neck. The two ducked behind a corner to avoid being hit.

"We'll handle this!" Lynn shouted to Rosie. "Destroy the bunker!"

As Lynn stepped out to fire another burst, Rosie spun around a corner with Ramona, Claudia and Jann in tow. After another minute, they reached an opening behind the large bunker. There were about four more shock troopers guarding the bunker. They fired at Rosie, who ducked back behind cover.

"Tch, wish I'd saved my Flame Flail for now," Rosie grumbled.

"No worries! I got this!" Ramona shouted as she pulled the cord on a grenade and tossed it around the corner.

Seconds later, the grenade detonated, blowing up two of the shock troopers. Rosie whipped around the corner and emptied a clip into the remaining two shock troopers.

As Rosie signaled that it was clear, Claudia and Jann ran up to the bunker, where Claudia began setting up her explosive charges. Rosie, Jann and Ramona took defensive positions behind the bunker, expecting reinforcements.

Sure enough, after a few seconds, five more Imperial soldiers showed up at the top of the trench. Rosie took one down with a quick burst to the head, while Ramona shot a second one in his leg and arm, incapacitating him. Jann, who held a shotgun, blasted a third one in the torso. One of the remaining two got a shot off, hitting Jann in his chest armor. Jann yelped as he fell onto his back, while Ramona shot his assailant right between the eyes.

The last Imperial soldier, however, had centered his iron sights on Claudia's head. Before he could pull the trigger, though, he was hit in the neck by a sniper round from Catherine. Rosie fired an extra burst into him, blowing the soldier away.

Rosie then heard Claudia gasp, "Jann, are you alright?"

"Me? Well, sure, hon!" Jann said in his usual, jovial tone. "A little sore, maybe."

Rosie then saw that the Imperial bullet hadn't pierced through Jann's heavier body armor, but was instead embedded in one of the plates.

"Oh, thank God! You aren't bleeding, are you? Do you need any Ragnaid? Are–"

"He's fine, Claudia!" Rosie interrupted. "Are you done with those charges yet?"

"Oh, umm, just about…"

"Then finish up, already! Time's wasting!"

* * *

On the west side of the Imperial trenches, Alicia ducked her head as a bullet struck the corner she was hiding behind. With her were Aika, Edy, Homer, Hector and Freesia. Hector had been shot in the leg, and Homer was doing his best to treat him. Three Regulars that were with Alicia's group were already dead.

Edy fired a blind burst down the trench, killing an enemy shock trooper. But a burst from another forced Edy to hide. The last remaining Gallian Regular wasn't so lucky, however, and died from three bullets to his torso.

Then, Aika saw a trio of helmets coming at them from their rear flank. She shouted, "Behind us!"

"I got it!" Freesia shouted.

She then drew a pair of blades from the scabbards on her back. The blades, a pair of scimitars, were a family heirloom of hers, and were beautiful as they were deadly.

As the Imperial shock troopers ran around the corner, Freesia said, "Shall we dance?"

With a spinning slash, Freesia cut down one of the shock troopers. The second tried to stab Freesia with a bayonet, but the dancer blocked it and countered, slashing through his chest. But in the same instant, the third took aim at Freesia. Freesia turned in time to see the soldier about to fire.

"Bang, bang, baby!" Aika shouted as she fired a round with each word, killing the third shock trooper with her last shot.

"Thanks, Aika," Freesia sighed in relief.

"Aika, Freesia, go around and flank the bunker!" Alicia shouted.

"No problem, Sarge!" Aika said confidently. She and Freesia took off down the trenches.

As more bullets ricocheted around her, Alicia blind-fired at the enemy. Next to her, Edy fired a burst, but was shocked when her gun suddenly jammed. Ducking back behind cover, Edy fumbled with her Mags MXX, but couldn't get it to work.

"ERRGH! Homer, help me!" Edy shouted.

Having patched up Hector as best he could, Homer slid over to Edy and took a hold of her machine gun. Edy took Homer's rifle and fired a few rounds down the trench, but she missed.

As Homer tried to fix Edy's gun, Edy shouted, "Homer, hurry up!"

"Almost done, Miss Edy. Just a little– AUGH!"

Homer took a bullet to his ribcage, dropping him to the ground. Edy shrieked in terror as she knelt down next to him.

"Homer! Homer, NO!"

Alicia turned to see Edy screaming frantically in terror. She was clearly panicking, something Alicia had feared could happen.

"HELP! Someone, please help him!" Edy screamed frantically.

Alicia almost made to move to help Edy, but then remembered the Imperials still in the trench. Looking back down, she saw one of them throw a grenade at the group.

"Edy, look out!" Alicia shouted.

The grenade landed inches from Edy and Homer. Edy shut her eyes, bracing herself for the explosion.

Nothing happened. The grenade was a dud.

Alicia sighed in relief at this. Edy slowly opened her eyes to find she was alive, albeit still in mortal danger. Then, her attention immediately returned to Homer. He was still alive, but just barely. Blood stained his uniform.

"Homer? Homer?"

"Uhh… not so loud… Miss Edy…"

Seeing Homer was still alive brought tears to Edy's eyes. She placed a bloodstained hand on his cheek, which he took hold of.

"I… fixed your weapon, Miss Edy…"

"Homer…"

Then, a bullet glanced one of Edy's shoulder plates, snapping her back to the reality that she was still in combat. A look of rage suddenly appeared on Edy's face as she took her Mags MXX. With a loud screech, Edy fired wildly at the Imperials, completely disregarding her safety. Two Imperials in the trench were riddled with bullets, while the other two took cover. Edy continued to fire for a full three seconds, until at last her machine gun ran out of ammo.

Dropping the weapon, Edy bent down, scooped up the dud grenade, and threw it as she shouted, "Alicia!"

Realizing what Edy intended, Alicia answered, "Got it!"

Spinning around the corner, Alicia took careful aim at the airborne grenade. She pulled the trigger, shooting the explosive and setting off a powerful blast that blew apart the remaining Imperials.

Alicia sighed in relief as she turned back to Edy and Homer. Edy had a Ragnaid capsule opened, and was trying to heal Homer's wound. But Alicia knew they still had a mission to complete: they had to take out the Imperial bunker. And yet, at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to drag Edy away from Homer.

Then, Edy suddenly said, "Alicia, finish the mission. I… I have to help him…"

Knowing Edy was resolute in her choice, Alicia said, "Alright. We'll let you know the second that bunker's taken out so you can call in a medic."

"Take my… charges…" Homer groaned painfully.

Reaching into Homer's pack, Alicia pulled out a set of explosive charges. She then took off down the trenches to regroup with Freesia and Aika while Edy continued treating Homer. Alicia prayed that they would be alright in the end.

After a minute or so, Alicia reached the rear end of the bunker and saw Freesia and Aika pinned down by three shock troopers. They hadn't seen Alicia though, who quickly shot two of them in the back. The third spun around to shoot at Alicia, allowing Freesia to charge out and slash him in the back with her swords.

"Nice work, Freesia," said Alicia. Producing the explosives, Alicia added, "Now let's blow this bunker sky high!"

"Umm… either of you know how to use these things?" Aika asked.

This left Freesia and Alicia blushing in embarrassment. Only Homer was properly trained in the use of the specialized charges.

* * *

Largo stayed crouched down in the trenches as machine gun rounds rained over his head. Next to him were Jane, Knute, Musaad, Salinas, and Nancy. Any Gallian Regulars that were with them before were dead, and Salinas was screaming from a bullet wound to his abdomen that Nancy was attempting to treat.

Largo ducked his head as he took a blind shot with his shotgun over the side of the trench. Musaad, meanwhile, had his eye on a corner to their left. He saw a pair of shadows moving closer to the corner.

"Largo, left side!" Musaad shouted.

Spinning around, Largo was in time to see two shock troopers spin around the corner. Largo blasted them with two pumps of his shotgun, killing them in quick succession. Then, as Largo was reloading, a third shock trooper wheeled around the corner and took aim at him. He didn't see Musaad, who gutted him with a trench knife.

Jane then ripped the cord off a grenade as she shouted, "Die, Imps!"

She tossed the grenade over the side of the trench. The grenade landed between two Imperials and detonated, killing one instantly and mortally wounding the other, his leg blown off.

Then, seconds after Jane's grenade exploded, Largo heard an earth-shaking explosion come from the east. Turning his head, Largo could see a plume of fire and smoke billow into the air, coming from the east bunker. Rosie's group had apparently destroyed it.

"East bunker's gone!" Rosie shouted over the radio.

"Hey Rosie, think you could lend us a hand?" Largo replied over the radio. "We're pinned down over here by a couple of MG's!"

"We're on our way, Largo."

Largo looked up on hearing a frenzied shout from an Imperial scout, who was trying to rush down into the trenches from above. As the scout leapt to enter the trench, a sniper bullet struck him in the neck, killing him.

* * *

From Squad Seven's camp, Welkin watched as the east bunker burst into flames. Next to him were Emile and Oscar, who were providing sniper support. Oscar's rifle billowed with smoke from a recently fired shot.

"Hehe, told you Rosie's group would finish first, Em," said Oscar. "Looks like Nils owes us twenty ducats."

As the two brothers laughed at this, Welkin flicked on his radio and said, "Alicia, what's your status?"

"Hang on, Welkin…" said Alicia. "Three, two, one…"

A second later, the west bunker was engulfed in a fiery explosion.

"Good work, Alicia," said Welkin. "Get your group together and head for Largo's position. He's gonna need your help."

"On our way. Homer needs a medic, fast."

"Fina's on her way now." Welkin watched as Fina darted off toward Edy's position with Susie as an escort. Turning to his two snipers, Welkin said, "Oscar, Emile, move forward and concentrate fire on the central bunker. Take out anything you can."

"Yes sir!" the twins said simultaneously. They then took off down the trenches with Nadine in tow.

As Welkin watched the battle continue, he suddenly heard a familiar voice over the radio.

* * *

Marina centered her sights on an Imperial lancer across the trenches. The lancer was raising an anti-infantry lance, aiming for Largo's position. Marina fired a shot clean through the lancer's helmet, causing him to topple into the trench.

"…That's five…"

"Really?" asked Catherine. "I've only got three so far."

Marina reloaded her Springfield as she watched the other Sevens begin assaulting the central bunker from the left and right flanks. Seeing Vyse pinned down by a machine gunner, Marina took aim and shot the gunner in the head.

"…Six…"

"Nice shot."

Marina didn't listen to Catherine as she watched Vyse quickly overtake the machine gun. He had moved recklessly, but that was his style.

As Marina continued to watch Squad Seven's battle around the bunker, the voice of Squad One's commander, Faldio Landzaat, suddenly filled her ears. "Hate to interrupt things, Welkin," said Faldio, "but you've got trouble heading your way."

"Lieutenant Landzaat, report," said Captain Varrot.

"That Valkyria woman from Barious just tore right through my squad, and she's heading in your direction now."

"What? Are you serious?" Welkin asked in shock. "Those rockets are still active, and we're still trying to take out the last bunker!"

"Well, you'd better move fast. Best guess is she'll be there in three minutes, tops. Probably sooner."

Faldio's transmission cut off at this moment. Welkin, now anxious, said, "This is bad. We still can't deploy the Edelweiss or the Shamrock. And even if we could, I don't think we have anything that could stand up to a Valkyria!"

Varrot was forced to ponder the situation for a moment. After a few seconds, she said, "Continue your attack as planned, Lieutenant. If we can destroy the bunker before she arrives, the Valkyria may fall back."

"Even if we were to do that, Captain, I doubt it's possible in the time remaining. For all we know, she could be here even faster than Faldio said."

From her post, Marina overheard Welkin and Varrot's transmissions. Looking to the east, she could see the blue silhouette of Selvaria approaching rapidly, blowing through more tanks and infantry. Welkin was right: there wasn't enough time left until Selvaria arrived to destroy the bunker.

Something… someone had to slow her down…

Slinging her Springfield onto her back, Marina made an abrupt dash to the east through the trenches. Catherine suddenly noticed this, and quickly realized what Marina was doing, much to her horror.

"Marina, don't you dare!" Catherine shouted. "Get back here this instant, young lady! Marina!"

But Marina wouldn't listen. Catherine could only watch as she sped off through the trenches.

"Corporal O'Hara, what's going on?" Captain Varrot asked through her radio.

"It's Marina! She's going to engage the Valkyria!"

"What?" Welkin exclaimed in alarm.

* * *

As she ran through the trenches, Marina kept her uncovered eye fixated on Selvaria's blue silhouette. She would be in the area in about two minutes or so.

Suddenly, Marina winced as Welkin shouted loudly over the radio, "Marina, get back to your post! That's an order!"

"…"

"Marina, I know you mean well, but you can't take her on alone! You won't stand a chance!"

"…I don't intend to beat her, Lieutenant Gunther. I plan to buy the others some time."

"And how is it you intend to do that, Corporal Wulfstan?" Varrot said crossly.

"…By getting her attention…"

"Marina, don't be a fool!" Catherine shouted. "She'll kill you!"

"I'm severing communications. Finish the mission, Lieutenant Gunther…"

Marina switched off her earpiece as Catherine and Welkin protested, ignoring their pleas. She had made up her mind.

Looking back, Marina saw Selvaria approaching Squad Seven at an alarming speed. Another minute or so, and she'd be on top of their position. Marina pulled out her Springfield and took aim at Selvaria. To Marina's fortune, she had stopped shortly to fire a powerful blast at a Gallian tank, which blew up immediately.

"…Remember me?"

Marina fired. Her round flew straight and true at Selvaria's chest, but before the bullet struck, Selvaria spun around and blocked the bullet with her Ragnite shield.

Marina had expected this; Selvaria was now staring right at her. It only took a second for Selvaria to recognize Marina from Barious.

"Ah, you again…" Selvaria cooed. "How has your squad been since Barious, Ghost of Gallia?"

"…"

It was no mystery to Marina why Selvaria had called her "Ghost of Gallia". It was the Imperial nickname she had been given after Fouzen. The soldiers treated her as if she were a ghost; one moment Marina would appear and shoot down a soldier, and then vanish in the next moment. It was a fitting title.

Marina silently slid open her Springfield's loading chamber to insert another round. Strangely, Selvaria did nothing to prevent it.

"Not the talkative type? Very well. I haven't forgotten how you cut me last time. I'll be returning the favor."

Marina fired another shot, which Selvaria deflected with her shield. Or so she thought; a sharp pain suddenly passed along her forehead. Marina's bullet had ricocheted off Selvaria's shield and grazed her brow. As Selvaria winced in surprise, the cut in her forehead quickly healed, yet drops of blood still stained her pale white skin.

Smirking, Marina said, "That's twice I've cut you now, Valkyria."

Now angered, Selvaria fired a barrage of blue energy blasts at Marina, who ducked into the trench. Selvaria roared as she rushed at Marina's position; Marina began to dash away inside the trench.

Within moments, Selvaria shouted as she leapt agilely into the trench. To her surprise, Marina wasn't there. She had entered a sort of hub in the trenches; the sniper could have gone in one of many directions. There were dozens of places to hide.

"Hiding will not save you, Ghost," Selvaria said calmly, yet loud enough so Marina could hear her.

From around a corner, Marina moved as silently as possible through the trenches while listening to Selvaria's footsteps. She was close… too close. Marina was forced to time her footsteps to match Selvaria's, so that she wouldn't be heard. It was a deadly game of cat and mouse; if Selvaria found Marina, she would surely die.

Selvaria kept her ears tuned for any close sounds, despite the loud gunshots and tank cannons that were echoing through the plains. Her eyes were peeled for any signs of movement. Even though she clearly outmatched the famed sniper, she wasn't about to take chances with someone who had by now killed over 120 Imperial soldiers.

Then, Selvaria saw a set of footprints in the dirt. They were fresh and closely spaced; it had to be the Ghost's. Grinning, Selvaria quickened her pace.

Marina heard Selvaria's footsteps quicken; she had caught her trail. Moving quickly, Marina dashed silently around a corner as Selvaria swung around into the corridor. Marina then grimaced as a blue blast of energy impacted close behind her, and blue flames licked at her back. Selvaria knew where Marina was.

"…Dammit…"

Looking ahead, Marina saw a narrow fork in the trenches leading left and right. In addition, on the ground was a small rock. Dashing over to the rock, Marina picked it up and turned down the left passage. After taking a few steps in, she walked backwards down the right turn, doubling back. As she knelt in the passage, Marina threw the rock down the left passage.

Selvaria heard a dull thud come from up ahead. Dashing down through the trench, Selvaria saw Marina's footprints turn left. But the passage was too narrow for Selvaria to wield her lance and shield, and she felt something was amiss with the situation.

"The chase ends here, Gallian," said Selvaria.

Tossing her large Ragnite lance and shield to the ground, Selvaria drew a Ragnite rapier from the scabbard attached to her belt. Since the weapon was made of Ragnite, she still retained her azure glow.

Then, with a shout, Selvaria dashed up to the fork and turned hard to the right. She immediately saw Marina, who fired her Springfield at Selvaria up close. Selvaria quickly slashed her rapier at the bullet, slicing it in two. The bullet halves flew around Selvaria, impacting with the trench walls.

Shocked, Marina swung her Springfield at Selvaria, attempting to bludgeon her with it. But Selvaria was too fast; she sliced the Springfield's barrel in two, and then punched Marina in the face, knocking her into the trench wall with a dull thud. As she tried to recover, Selvaria brought the tip of her rapier an inch before Marina's head.

With an amused laugh, Selvaria said, "You fight bravely for a ghost."

Spitting blood on the ground, Marina said, "…I don't fear death, Azure Witch…"

"Enough men of the Empire have lost their lives to you, Ghost of Gallia. I will put you in the ground where you belong!"

A loud explosion suddenly caught her attention. Turning, Selvaria saw the center of three bunkers go up in flames. The other two were already smoldering.

Then, Selvaria heard Marina say, "I'm sorry, were you in the middle of something?"

Marina ducked under a stab from Selvaria, drawing her Colt, and swung it at Selvaria's head. But the Valkyria was too fast; she grabbed Marina's wrist and wrenched it to the side just as she pulled the trigger. The bullet missed. Marina screamed as Selvaria began crushing her wrist between her fingers, dropping her pistol.

Then, with a quick twirling motion, Selvaria thrust her sword at Marina as she shouted, "DIE!"

Marina gasped as she felt a sharp, white hot pain pierce her chest. Her body felt heavy, and her breath was short. Everything was becoming dark.

Selvaria ripped her rapier's blade out of Marina's chest, dropping the sniper to the ground at her feet. Lying on her side, Marina's one visible violet eye was left wide open, petrified in shock.

With Marina incapacitated, Selvaria said, "Rrgh… Those fools let them through. Fine, it's a mere delay. We've made a good start of this battle. His Grace will be pleased." As Selvaria turned to leave, she took a last look at Marina and said, "Lie silently in your grave, Ghost of Gallia, and haunt the men of the Empire no more."

Selvaria went to claim her lance and shield, then leapt out of the trench and made for the Imperial lines with great speed. Marina was left in the trench, bleeding and slowly losing consciousness.

Marina heard the dull, muffled patter of approaching footsteps. She couldn't see who it was that shouted for a medic, nor could she tell the voice.

Then, everything went black.

**End of Chapter 4**

Newbies are probably thinking: what a bastard! I know, I know. But just review and get to the next chapter. XD


	5. Chapter 5

If you can figure out what I changed in this one, you get a cookie. Enjoy.

**Chapter 5: Loss within Victory**

A distant explosion boomed, muffled, followed by several more. Everything seemed hazy, but was slowly coming back into focus.

Marina's eyes slowly opened, met by the vision of the roof of a tent. She was in the Militia's medical station at Naggiar, specifically Squad Seven's tent.

"…"

Marina tried to push herself up, but was immediately met by a sharp pain in her chest. Grunting loudly, Marina looked to see her chest had been covered in bandages, which had been stained red with blood.

"There's no need to worry, dear," said a familiar voice. Turning, Marina saw Catherine sitting on a stool next to her. "I don't think Fina's someone you should worry about having seen you without any clothes."

Marina suddenly felt her face heat up, a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. She wanted to strangle Catherine for her snide attitude, but the pain of her injuries kept Marina from rising. Marina was gently forced back into her bed by Catherine.

"Easy now, Marina. You're in no condition to be up and about."

"…What happened…?"

"Juno found you in the trenches after the Valkyria left. You had lost a lot of blood. Fina says you're VERY lucky that none of your vital organs were damaged."

"…"

"Marina, why did you have to do something so stupid?"

"…Did the others finish the mission?"

"Of course they did! But that's not the point, young lady! Do you have any idea how worried I was? You almost died! We– I almost lost you!"

Catherine suddenly broke into tears at this moment. Marina then saw she was clutching Pamela Coren's tags in her hand, along with Marina's and a third set, which bore the name "Marcus Wulfstan".

"First I lose Pam, and then your father died. Now, I almost lose you…"

Catherine continued to cry, turning away from Marina. Marina could only watch as Catherine's tears dropped to the ground and were sucked into the dirt.

"…Cath, I…"

Marina suddenly stopped as she saw another figure in a nearby bed, lying unconscious. It was Alicia.

"…Alicia… What happened…?"

Still sniffling, Catherine said, "A sniper. Fina doesn't know if she'll make it. Oh, God…"

Marina took a look around Squad Seven's infirmary. Along with Alicia and herself, the wounded included Homer, Hector, Salinas, and Nina. Edy sat in a chair next to Homer, apparently passed out from exhaustion, but unharmed.

"So many are wounded or dead… And still the Imperials keep throwing whatever they have at us. It's just endless… We won't make it, I'm sure of it…"

"Hey, don't go talking like that, Cath," said Largo as he entered the room. "You'll just make things worse for everyone."

"How can things get any worse, Largo?" Catherine said in despair. "We're barely holding off the Imperials by defending, and High Command keeps telling us to attack. It's as if General Damon WANTS us all to die!"

Watching Catherine, Marina had half a mind to slap her across the face. However, her words made sense; the situation was clearly in favor of the Imperials. And still, General Damon was making the fatal mistake of continuing to attack foolishly.

Marina winced as her chest wound ached again, a scar from her near fatal encounter with a Valkyria. She had experienced firsthand what Selvaria was capable of, and knew it would take a miracle to defeat her. Nothing Gallia had could stop her.

Then, Marina heard Largo sigh as he said, "I hear you, Cath. Damon's got his head stuck so far up his ass that he can't even see what's right in front of his nose. Elle and I just don't know what we can do about it."

"Its men like him that should be dying for Gallia, not children! That monster just doesn't care for Gallia or its people at all!"

"Hey, knock it off!" Largo said loudly. "It won't do you any good if the General or one of his men hears you screaming bloody murder about him!"

"I don't care! I hate him! It's because of that son of a bitch that Pam and Fredrick died!"

"Catherine O'Hara, that is enough!" shouted Captain Varrot, who just entered the tent.

Startled, Largo and Catherine turned to look at Varrot, who bore a mix of anger and sorrow on her normally calm face. She clearly was sharing Catherine's sentiments, but was doing her best to remain civil about it.

"I know what you're going through, Catherine… but Pamela and Fredrick wouldn't want you acting like this."

"Don't patronize me, Elle!" Catherine snapped. "How long are you planning to let him get away with sacrificing our people just to further his career?"

"Catherine, I wish I could do something about him, I truly do. But my hands are tied. As long as he is in command of the Gallian Army, we have to follow his orders. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"That's it? "I'm sorry?" You think that'll stop what'll happen if he stays in command?"

Catherine stormed toward the entrance to the tent. But before she took two steps, Largo grabbed her by the arm and said, "Hold on, Cath. Where are you going?"

"If he's not going to budge, then maybe he should be removed! Permanently!"

"What? You can't possibly mean you intend to kill him?"

"Would that be such a bad thing, Elle? If he stays in command, we'll all be dead by tomorrow! If he's gone, Gallia may have a chance!"

"Cath, killing him isn't gonna do us any good," said Largo. "If you kill him, the Regulars are gonna be at our throats for it. The last thing we need right now is for us to be fighting amongst each other while the Imperials are breathing down our necks."

Marina watched as Catherine glared at Largo. She could tell Catherine wanted to kill Damon more than anything right now, but that she also knew Largo was right. Seeing Catherine like this was painful to Marina; the pressure of losing so many comrades was clearly having a deep effect on her.

Then, Catherine suddenly seemed to remember that Marina was around. Looking her in the eye, Marina could see a mixture of surprise and shame in Catherine's face.

"Marina, I…" Catherine wasn't able to finish before she ran out of the tent, shame written across her face.

Largo sighed and said, "I'll go check on her, Elle."

"Thank you, Largo." After watching Largo leave, Varrot turned to Marina and said, "I'm sorry you had to see that. It's not the first time this has happened."

"…What do you mean?"

"When we lost Pamela, it had been because Damon, a Major at the time, had redirected an ammo shipment to his own unit when we needed it more. Catherine had no rounds left when Pamela was killed. She's blamed General Damon for it ever since."

"…"

"And now, it seems that she's blaming him for all the lives we've lost today, including how we almost lost you. I share her sentiment, and maybe a few months ago I would've supported her idea. But after what happened with Giorgios Geld, I realize that killing someone out of hate won't accomplish anything."

As Varrot turned to leave, Marina said, "…Captain, if it meant saving Gallia and its people, would you do it?"

Varrot was caught off guard by this question. She sighed as she said, "I don't know… It's not something I could take lightly."

"…If it were up to me, Captain, I'd kill him in a heartbeat. But right now, it wouldn't change anything if I did…"

Varrot stood for a moment to contemplate Marina's words, and then left the tent.

* * *

Selvaria stood before a small mirror as she brought a small wet cloth to her forehead, wiping some of her blood off her brow. The other men in the camp knew to stay away from her; she was in a particularly bad mood.

Though the Empire's forces had made considerable progress in the Naggiar campaign, she had lost a crucial asset to the Gallian Militia. With the frontline communications bunker lost, the Gallians were now safe from the Empire's long-range mortar rockets. She now had to rely on short-range mortars. Though some would've considered this loss acceptable, Selvaria wasn't about to stand for it.

But this wasn't what Selvaria was brooding over. Her mind continued to dwell on how that sniper, the Ghost of Gallia, had wounded her. Even in death, the ghost seemed to haunt her, reminding her that despite being a Valkyria, she wasn't invincible.

"General? May I come in?" called a familiar voice.

"Enter," Selvaria said as she wiped the last of the blood from her forehead.

A young blond man entered the tent, dressed in an officer's uniform. Johann saluted as Selvaria turned to face him.

"What is it, Johann?" asked Selvaria.

"Lord Maximilian wants an update on the battle."

"Very well. I shall speak with him immediately."

Selvaria strode out of her tent with Johann in tow. But as she exited, a snide voice said, "Excellent performance, Lady Valkyria. Simply excellent."

Irked, Selvaria turned to see a grey-haired man sitting on a pile of crates with a Gallian sniper rifle in his hands. Selvaria said nothing to him, showing her contempt through silence.

Then, Cezary said, "Hmm? Do my eyes deceive me, or is that blood?"

Surprised, Selvaria touched her forehead and discovered that, indeed, there was still blood on it.

"Not as invincible as people say you are, huh?"

"Silence, worm!" Selvaria snapped as she grabbed the hilt of her rapier.

"Heh, my apologies, General Bles. I meant no offense."

"…"

Selvaria released her grip on her blade and turned away from Cezary. As she walked away, Cezary asked, "Out of curiosity, how did you receive that wound?"

Selvaria paused for a moment, and then said, "Your Ghost of Gallia proved more of a challenge than I anticipated."

"Is that so? Can't say I didn't give you fair warning. She IS Gallia's best sniper, after all."

"Was."

"Eh?"

"The Ghost of Gallia will haunt us no longer. I have laid her to rest."

"Heh, that's a shame."

"You show sympathy for her?"

"Not in the slightest. I only regret that I didn't kill her myself. She and I had a score to settle, you see."

"Then I have done you a favor by ridding you of her."

Selvaria strode away from Cezary as he watched. Then, he heard Johann ask, "You're from Gallia, right?" Cezary nodded, so Johann asked, "Why turn against your country?"

"Because I don't care for that 'Gallian pride' crap. I look out for just one person: me. Besides, they've got an empty prison cell with my name on it back in Randgriz."

"So you chose to betray your homeland?"

"If that's how you wanna put it, sure."

"But why join us?"

"That's for me to know, kid." For a moment, Cezary paused, and then he said, "How does no one see the beauty out here?"

Johann decided not to continue questioning Cezary, and went to follow Selvaria.

Cezary, meanwhile, brooded over the news that Marina was dead. He felt he should've been the one to kill her, but now he'd never have that chance.

* * *

Fina held a Ragnaid capsule over Marina's back. Though it was soothing, it was only meant to numb the pain. According to Fina, Marina was going to need several days to fully recover. Until then, she had to stay out of action.

As the last of the Ragnaid drained from the capsule, Fina said, "That's all I can do for now. You're next, Homer."

Fina walked over to Homer, who still lay in his bed with Edy at his side. Marina watched as Fina activated another Ragnaid capsule over Homer's wound as Edy watched. Marina had heard how Edy had panicked when Homer was shot. It made sense; the two had been seeing each other a lot ever since the Presentwell Village incident. They were probably a couple by now.

As she sat on the side of her bed while Fina worked, Marina looked around at the beds. Hector and Nina had been cleared and were back with the other Sevens, but Salinas was to be sent back to Randgriz for surgery. The war was over for him.

Then, Marina's exposed eye was fixed on Alicia, who was still comatose from a sniper round. Seeing Alicia in such a state suddenly caused an image of Isara, who lay lifeless in Welkin's arms, to flash before Marina's eyes. Marina was visibly shaken by this flashback.

Grunting as she got to her feet, Marina grabbed hold of a crutch that leaned on the side of her bed and began to hobble over to Alicia's bed. Each step she made was painful, but Marina forced herself to stomach the pain. Soon, she was looking down at Alicia's pale face. It was so much like how Isara had been when she died.

Fina watched Marina as she gazed at Alicia and said, "We don't know if she's going to pull through. The bullet missed her heart and lungs, but the shock and loss of blood… I just don't know if she'll make it."

"What are you saying, Fina?" Edy asked in mortification. "Of course Alicia will make it! She just has to!"

"I don't know what to say, Edy. I wish it were that simple, but…"

Marina tried to block out Fina and Edy's conversation, but it had already made its impact on her. Once again, she had failed in her vow to protect the people of Gallia…

Then, Marina noticed the small pan next to Alicia's bed. It was lined with various surgical tools, most which had been recently used. But there was something else; something that made Marina's exposed violet eye widen.

It was a sniper round… from a Springfield rifle.

Marina reached for the bullet, but was met with a sharp sting as she did. Marina did her best to ignore the pain as she reached down and picked up the bullet. She examined the round intently; it was lightly stained with Alicia's blood.

Having watched Marina, Fina said, "That's the bullet I pulled out of her. It's strange, because it's from a Gallian sniper rifle, not an Imperial one."

"What?" Edy said in surprise. "You mean someone on our side shot her?"

"I can't say for sure. It could be that, or it could be that one of the Imperials simply picked up one of our rifles and used it."

"…No… that's not possible…"

"Huh? What do you mean, Marina?" asked Edy.

"This round is from a Springfield. I'm the only one in the militia who has one."

"But you were here when Alicia was shot!"

"Maybe someone took your rifle," said Fina.

"My rifle was damaged while I was fighting the Valkyria," said Marina. "It's useless now."

"Well, maybe someone else in the militia got one recently," said Edy.

"I don't think so. The Springfield's still a prototype; only two have been made so… far…"

As Marina said this, she suddenly remembered something. Something from the previous day.

* * *

_Marina had been in the armory at Naggiar, seeing the Quartermaster about getting some extra Springfield rounds for the upcoming battle. It didn't take much to get the extra rounds from him; he had actually planned on giving her extra ammo._

_As Marina busily loaded up a bandolier with rounds, she saw Faldio Landzaat, commanding officer of Squad One, walk up to the Quartermaster. Marina was too far away to hear what they were talking about, and was too busy loading up on ammo to care. Then, she saw the Quartermaster turn to the weapons locker and pull out a sniper rifle. It was a Springfield, the second of the two prototypes._

_Marina watched as Faldio held the rifle in his hands and as he peered through the special scope, examining the weapon. Seconds later, though, Marina had finished loading up her bandolier, so she decided to leave._

* * *

Remembering this made Marina's stomach turn. Faldio was a good friend of Welkin and Alicia, but he was the last person Marina had seen with the second Springfield. She wasn't sure, but Marina suspected that Faldio could've had the rifle when Alicia was shot.

And, by extension, that would make him the shooter…

No, that wasn't possible. Why would Faldio shoot Alicia? It didn't make sense. He had always been attracted to her and her to him, in a sense. Maybe he had been killed and someone took his rifle…

"…Fina, have you seen Lieutenant Landzaat recently?"

"Huh? Faldio? Well, no… why?"

"…Never mind…"

Fina decided not to ask Marina what her question was about, and went back to applying Ragnaid to Homer's wound. Marina, meanwhile, sat back down on her bed and continued to brood on the facts. Even after Fina had finished patching up Homer and cleared him for combat, Marina was still pondering the whole story.

* * *

Welkin sat in the Edelweiss as Kreis ran through a routine check of the tank. So far, everything was checking out alright with the tank. It hadn't been used in the previous battle, so it was still in optimal working condition.

But Welkin wasn't listening to Kreis as he spoke. In his mind, he could see Alicia, unconscious and clinging to life. Then, his mind flowed with still images of Alicia, and how she had been there for him so many times.

"Sir, are you alright?" asked Kreis, noticing that Welkin wasn't listening.

"How could this happen?"

"Sir?"

"Alicia…"

Kreis realized what was going on, but didn't say anything.

Then, seconds later, Rosie appeared above the Edelweiss' hatch and said, "Hey boss, you alright?"

"Rosie?"

"It's kinda easy to hear you when you're in this thing." After a short, silent pause, Rosie continued, "Boss, we're all worried about her, but I don't think she'd want you blanking out in battle worrying. The squad needs you to lead, with or without her."

"…Thanks, Rosie."

"Heh, you're welcome. That wasn't easy to say, you know."

At that moment, radio chatter suddenly began to fill Welkin's headset. The Gallian Army was moving out again.

"Looks like it's time to move out," said Welkin. "Rosie, gather the others."

"I'm on it."

Rosie jumped off the Edelweiss as Kreis started up the tank. Within seconds, the Edelweiss began to move to the exit of the militia base. The other Sevens and the Shamrock quickly followed suit.

* * *

From inside the medical tent, Marina listened as tanks and soldiers began to march out of the base. She sighed loudly, feeling she should be with them instead of being in recovery. They would need every soldier they could get, but Marina wondered whether or not it would matter in the end.

The only thing Marina could do was lie in her bed. Fina had left her with a small supply of Ragnaid, but it was only meant to be used for emergencies. On her bedside table rested her Colt, with a crutch leaning against the small table. The only two people in the tent now were Marina and Alicia, who was still unconscious.

Marina gazed at Alicia's still body. Though she had never been one for making friends in the squad, Marina had a great deal of respect for Squad Seven's second-in-command. She was a born leader, a motherly figure to the others, and one of the bravest soldiers Marina had ever known. And perhaps most importantly, she was always someone a Seven could depend on. But now, she lay silent in her bed, barely breathing.

Suddenly, Marina saw a figure appear at the entrance to the tent. Marina couldn't see who it was in the darkness, and wasn't sure who it could be. Fina was with the other Sevens, who had been ordered to the front. And as far as she was aware, none of the other Sevens were still in the camp.

Marina watched the lone figure as he entered the tent, walked over to Alicia's still body, and then held a pair of strange objects over her. Looking closer, Marina saw they were made of Ragnite, one with a large blue jewel in the center. The other object was a buckler, similar to Selvaria's shield, also made of Ragnite.

Marina had seen these objects before during an R&R period Squad Seven had enjoyed, at the Randgriz Museum of History. The objects were relics of the Valkyrur; a Ragnite lance and shield. They were strikingly similar to the ones Selvaria used.

Then, Marina watched in awe as Alicia's body began to shimmer with a blue light. Azure flames began to emanate from her body. Her hair turned from brown to silver. Alicia slowly rose upright, took hold of the lance and shield, and opened her eyes. They were blood red instead of brown.

Marina immediately recognized the form. "…Valkyria…"

The figure whipped around upon hearing Marina. In shock, Marina's violet eyes met Faldio Landzaat's brown ones. Instinctively, Marina snatched up her Colt and tried to aim at Faldio, but pain tore through her chest, causing her to howl in agony. She clutched at her chest, trying to stifle the pain.

Faldio watched as Alicia strode out of the medical station, dressed in a white gown and bearing the Ragnite lance and shield in her hands, surrounded by blue flame, her eyes glowing.

"Forgive me, Alicia," said Faldio. "It's the only way."

Faldio froze on hearing a pistol click. He turned to see Marina aiming her Colt straight at him, though her arm was shaking.

"What have you done to her?" Marina snarled, uncharacteristically angry.

Faldio said nothing. Marina's Colt blared as she fired, grazing Faldio's brown hair. He knew she intended to miss; it was a warning shot.

"Next one goes into your skull, Faldio Landzaat…" Marina said as she cocked the hammer on her pistol and pointed it at Faldio's head. "So start talking. Why did you shoot her?"

"So you figured out it was me."

"You were the only other one in the Militia with a Springfield. You checked one out of the armory yesterday."

"I guess someone would've noticed eventually."

"Why did you try to kill Alicia?"

Faldio paused for a moment, but then said, "To awaken her power as a Valkyria. It would only happen if she were on the brink of death."

"…Liar…"

"It's the truth!"

Marina's finger began to close around the trigger of her pistol. Faldio saw this, which made him sweat in concern.

"…Prove it…"

* * *

Selvaria stood before a line of tanks and soldiers as she watched the Gallian Army take their positions. Seeing several terrified faces among the Gallians, she felt a small shred of pity for them. They had no chance of winning and they knew it.

Raising her lance, Selvaria shouted, "Listen to me, Gallia! Cast aside your weapons and surrender! If you do not, Naggiar's plains will drink deeply of your blood!"

The men of the Empire roared with pride as the soldiers of Gallia began to shake in their boots.

Then, Selvaria saw something behind the Gallians. A blue light was moving through the crowd, and as it approached the soldiers began to part in astonishment. Selvaria's eyes widened in surprise as the soldiers revealed what was behind them.

At the same time, Welkin gazed down at the source of the light in shock. "No! She can't be a Valkyria!"

Simultaneously across the plains, Cezary watched the spectacle in awe. "What the hell?"

Selvaria gazed warily at the girl as she strode forward, dressed in white and bearing a lance and shield of Ragnite. She had seen this girl before at Barious, but never imagined she was also of Valkyrur blood.

"Another scion to the Valkyrur?" Selvaria's eyes narrowed as she said, "This world has no need for two!"

With a shout, Selvaria dashed at Alicia, beginning a clash that echoed through the Naggiar Plains as Gallians and Imperials watched in awe.

* * *

"…How were you so sure Alicia was a Valkyria?"

"When we were in the Barious Ruins, she opened a sealed chamber just by touching it. I later discovered that it was designed only to allow the scions of the Valkyrur in."

"…"

"But that wasn't the only thing. Haven't you ever noticed how quick she is to heal, even from serious injuries?"

Marina paused; Faldio had a point. Alicia was a strangely fast healer, even to bullet wounds. At one time, she had even healed from a shot to her leg in merely a day, though at that time Marina had dismissed it as a proper application of Ragnaid. But could it really have been a trait of those with the blood of the Valkyrur?

"Marina, we need her. You should know better than anyone that no human can defeat a Valkyria."

"…"

"Don't you see? Alicia is the only one who can truly protect Gallia from our enemies! Even you, Gallia's ace sniper, can't keep everyone safe. You're only dooming yourself to an early death by bearing that title, same as all those men and women out on the plains!"

"…You may be right, but I didn't force that fate on another like you did. I chose to be the protector of Gallia's people when I joined the militia, knowing the consequences, knowing I would probably die. But you forced Alicia into awakening her powers against her will. You've cursed her to a life of suffering; a life where she will surely have to give up everything for Gallia."

"It's the price that has to be paid to defeat the Empire. Alicia is Gallia's only hope for survival."

"You're wrong, Faldio," said another voice.

Faldio and Marina turned to see Juno at the entrance to the tent. She had overheard everything.

"Juno, I–"

Juno had walked up to Faldio and slapped him harshly in the face.

Tearing up from anger, Juno said, "How could you, Faldio? How could you do this to that poor girl?"

"I had no choice, Juno," Faldio said. "How else can we defeat that monster?"

"So you go and turn Alicia into one?"

"I'm not proud of what I've done, but what I did was the only way."

"Didn't you even think about what could happen to her? What if she dies? What if the Empire's Valkyria kills her?"

Faldio said nothing to this. He was at a loss for words.

"…I won't let that happen…"

Faldio and Juno turned to see Marina struggling to stand up, holding her crutch and grunting from her injuries. Marina starting coughing loudly as drops of blood spattered on the ground. Juno quickly rushed to Marina's side, trying to stop her.

"Marina, you'll reopen your wounds! You have to stay in bed!"

"…"

Marina pushed Juno back slightly as she stood up and began limping her way toward the entrance to the tent. She barely made it five steps before pain shot through her chest, forcing her to clutch at the wound.

"Are you crazy?" Juno exclaimed. "Marina, you're barely standing!"

"…I'll make it work…"

Struggling, Marina took another step forward before being met by another jolt of pain. Marina gagged at this, coughing up blood again. Then, after a few seconds, Marina spat onto the ground, wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, and then continued to limp forward. Juno and Faldio could only watch in amazement.

Juno paused for a moment before walking up to Marina as she said in an exasperated tone, "Catherine would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

"I don't need your help."

As she held a Ragnaid capsule to Marina's chest, Juno said, "Oh really? Well, considering that you're barely conscious, someone is going to have to keep you alive out there. Whether you like it or not, Marina, I'm going with you."

"…Fine…" Turning to look at Faldio, Marina said, "We'll finish this later, Lieutenant Landzaat."

As Juno carried Marina out of the tent on her shoulder, Faldio hung his head in shame. If only they could've seen that what he did was the only choice…

* * *

"This can't be…"

Everyone on the plains, Gallian and Imperial, were left stunned. Selvaria Bles, the seemingly invincible Valkyria of the Empire, had been defeated in combat by Gallia's Valkyria after a ten-minute duel. She now lay battered and bruised in a small crater, struggling to stay conscious.

At the rear of the Gallian formation, General Damon suddenly re-realized his situation and shouted, "Don't just stand there, you fools! Open fire! Destroy them!"

The Gallian Army sprung into action and charged forward at the Imperials, who were now in complete disarray with the loss of their commander. Gallian tanks bellowed as their cannons fired, raining shells on the screaming Imperials.

From his position in the rear, Cezary watched as Alicia dashed forward at the Imperial soldiers and began cutting them down one by one. She was as monstrous as Selvaria, only far more callous.

Zooming in, Cezary saw a blank expression on Alicia's face as she fired a blast into an Imperial tank, blowing it apart. The destruction she was causing didn't even register for her. Right now, she was little more than a killing machine.

"What a monster…" Cezary said in silent amazement. Centering his sights on Alicia's head, he added, "This should even things up."

His finger closed around the trigger. A shot fired out from his GSR-XXR. But to Cezary's shock, Alicia instinctively spun around and blocked the round with her shield.

"Dammit!"

Alicia raised her lance in Cezary's direction as blue energy surged into the weapon. Realizing what was going to happen, Cezary sprung to his feet and ran as a large blast of blue energy struck the bunker he had been stationed in, blowing it sky high.

Having cleared the bunker, Cezary looked back at the roaring flames. He realized he was going to need a different approach to defeat Alicia. He then took off down the Imperial trenches.

* * *

Marina sat on a crate as she waited for Juno, who was in the motor pool trying to secure some transportation. In her hands were a GSR-XX and a Ragnaid capsule, the latter which she was administering to her chest wound. She was having trouble keeping her head up, but refused to let herself lose consciousness. There was too much at stake.

"You still awake?" said Juno as she returned with a motorcycle, complete with a sidecar.

"…"

"Just give me a minute. I couldn't find the keys, so I've gotta hotwire this thing."

As Juno opened up the dashboard of the motorcycle, Marina looked at her and said, "…Why are you helping me? I thought–"

"You want to help Alicia, don't you? It's the same for me."

"…I thought you didn't like her…"

Juno paused for a second, and then sighed as she said, "Well, maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let her die out there. Besides, if she died…"

"…I get it… you're doing this for Lieutenant Gunther…"

Juno's cheeks suddenly turned a shade of pink. "Wha-What are you talking about?"

"It's not hard to notice what you're like when you're around the lieutenant. Besides, Catherine keeps telling me how you're always going to her for advice."

Juno stammered as she tried to retort. But after a few seconds, she sighed loudly and said in despair, "Catherine… you told her that…?"

"…It's none of my business…"

Sighing, Juno said, "Look, Welkin and I are good friends, and for a long time now, I've felt as if we could… well, be more than that. But whenever he's around Alicia… I dunno, he just seems so much happier, especially after we lost Isara. If we were to lose Alicia too, I just don't think Welkin could take it."

"…I see…"

"Listen, I need to ask you something. If we get through this, promise me that you won't tell Welkin about Faldio."

"…Why?"

"Those two have been best friends ever since our first year at university. If Welkin found out that Faldio shot Alicia… no, we can't let him know. Please, just don't tell him."

"…I can't promise that, Juno…"

Despite not hearing the answer she wanted, Juno said nothing else to Marina as she worked on the motorcycle. Then, as she struck two wires together, the motorcycle's engine roared to life as toxic fumes belched out of its exhaust pipe.

"Got it! Get in!"

Marina tried to stand, but was met with a burning pain in her chest. Grunting loudly as she tossed away the spent Ragnaid capsule, Marina forced herself to withstand the stinging as she stood up and limped toward the motorcycle. It took her ten seconds to reach the bike, and another five to sit down in the sidecar.

"You alright?" asked Juno. She could tell Marina was in serious pain.

"…Just drive…"

Despite a feeling in her gut that she was going to regret her actions, Juno revved the accelerator and the motorcycle sped out of the militia base.

* * *

As he scurried through the Imperial trenches, Cezary took a brief look at Selvaria's position. A group of about twenty soldiers and three tanks, led by Johann, were busy escorting the wounded Valkyria back into the trenches. But as they were falling back, no less than fifty Gallian soldiers were closing in on their position, supported by four tanks. Bullets and shells were flying all over the place.

Behind one of the tanks, three Imperial soldiers took a series of potshots at the attacking Gallians. Then, one of the soldiers saw a Gallian mortar round flying through the air at their position.

"Take cover!"

The Imperial soldiers fled as the mortar round crashed down on the tank, blowing it to shreds. All three soldiers were caught in the blast and perished as shrapnel tore into their bodies.

From his position, Cezary saw that the Gallians were quickly overpowering Selvaria's escort. She would certainly be captured or killed at this rate.

Then, looking ahead, Cezary saw his answer. In the trenches, an Imperial engineer was busy trying to call for mortar fire on a radio. But in his panic, the soldier had set the wrong frequency. Cezary, however, knew just what to do.

"You there, make yourself useful and give me that radio," Cezary said as he dashed up to the engineer.

"Huh?" The engineer was caught off guard as Cezary snatched the radio away from him.

After making a quick adjustment, Cezary said over the radio, "Mortar units two, five, seven, eight, twelve, divert fire to the following coordinates. Gallian tanks at 2-6-0 and 2-6-1. Full barrage."

As Cezary continued to shout orders through the radio, the boom of several cannons echoed through the plains. Several heavy mortar rounds streaked through the air and pounded away at the Gallian tanks, blowing three of them to pieces. Gallian soldiers screamed as they were blown apart, leaving charred bodies and dismembered limbs. But at the same time, some of the rounds were landing around the Imperial soldiers, who panicked as their own shells rained down on them, kicking up dust and debris.

Cezary watched the bombardment, and then turned his attention to Selvaria. Johann and five other soldiers had gotten her into the trenches, and were now making their way back to the Imperial staging area.

"You owe me, General Bles," Cezary said with a smirk.

Then, Cezary heard a voice shout over the radio. "Hostile Valkyria at 4-7-3! She's breaking our lines! AUUUUGGGGHHHH!"

Cezary looked to the south to see an Imperial tank explode as a blast of Ragnite energy blew through it. In the middle of the fray, Imperial soldiers fled in terror as Alicia dashed at them. Her lance was continually firing blasts of blue energy, killing soldier after soldier mercilessly.

Acting quickly, Cezary said, "Mortar units nine, ten, fourteen, sixteen, seventeen, on my target! Grid 4-6-3 to 4-6-4, 4-7-3 and 4-7-4!"

The engineer suddenly had a look of shock appear across his face on hearing the coordinates Cezary had given. "What? They'll hit our men!"

Ignoring the engineer, Cezary continued, "All mortars, fire on the enemy Valkyria!"

The plains reverberated as mortar cannons fired lethal shells through the sky that streaked toward Alicia's position.

* * *

As he hid within a foxhole next to Hannes, Herbert and Wavy, Largo heard the familiar booms and howls of oncoming mortar rounds. Looking up, Largo saw the shells weren't aimed at Squad Seven's position. They were coming down at Alicia's position, a hundred or so meters ahead of the Sevens.

"My God…" Quickly switching on his earpiece radio, Largo shouted, "Boss, barrage inbound on Alicia's position!"

Welkin gasped in shock. Without thinking, he quickly wrenched open the hatch of the Edelweiss and stuck his head out. Seconds later, he watched in horror as a barrage of mortar rounds began crashing down around Alicia, who had directed her shield towards the incoming shells. Gallian and Imperial soldiers in the area were blown apart by the widespread shelling.

Then, a single shell came down directly at Alicia, squarely striking her shield. An explosion engulfed the blue flames surrounding her body, followed by several more shells that impacted around her.

"No… ALICIA!"

Next to the Shamrock, which was further ahead, Aika raised her binoculars and peered out for any sign of Alicia. Seconds later, the dust and smoke cleared, revealing a faint blue glow. Alicia was still there, and still in one piece, standing in a large crater the shells had made.

Alicia raised her lance toward the mortar tanks atop the Imperial trenches. In quick succession, her lance unleashed a devastating beam of energy, blowing the mortars to scrap one by one as shells continued to rain around her. Twenty seconds later, five mortar tanks had been turned into piles of burning scrap metal. The Imperial soldiers that were still in the area hid in their foxholes.

Then, all of a sudden, Alicia seemed to stumble in place. The blue flames surrounding her began to fade. The Ragnite shield slipped from her fingers and crashed to the ground. Alicia looked about weakly, and then toppled over into the crater.

"Oh no…" gasped Aika. "Boss, Alicia's down! She's out cold!"

Terrified for Alicia's safety, Welkin shouted, "Medic! Medic!"

Within seconds, Fina came dashing up next to the Edelweiss, accompanied by Susie. She didn't even need to be told the emergency, and quickly took off in Alicia's direction with Susie in tow.

"All Sevens – provide cover fire! Keep the Imperials away from Alicia and Fina at all costs! Kreis, ready a smoke round!"

Next to Aika, Vyse watched as a new group of Imperials suddenly began streaming out of the trenches and from foxholes, advancing on Alicia's position. In his usual cocky tone, Vyse said, "Sure, no problem!"

As Vyse, Aika, Freesia and Nils rushed down toward a set of foxholes that were closer to Alicia's position, the Shamrock turned its turret toward the Imperials. The turret, which had been modified into a large Gatling gun, blared as it fired a stream of armor-piercing bullets at the Imperials, mowing down a group of four in seconds.

Fina rushed through the fields of bullets, undaunted by the prospect of dying. All that mattered was getting Alicia to safety. Susie remained close behind, though she was on the verge of panicking from all the gunfire. But to Susie, letting Alicia down would be worse than dying, so she pressed on.

Thirty meters left…

The Edelweiss' cannon blared as it lobbed a smoke round. The round crashed down past the crater Alicia was in, blanketing it in thick smoke. The Imperials could no longer see Alicia, and now were forced to move through the smoke to reach her.

As the smoke spread, Fina and Susie dashed past Rosie, Mica, Cherry and Ramsey. Rosie shouted, "Come on, let's move!" as she jumped out of her foxhole and ran after Fina.

"Right behind ya, Rosie!" Cherry shouted, exiting the foxhole and dashing after Rosie. Mica and Ramsey quickly followed suit.

Twenty meters left…

A tank shell impacted a few meters to Fina's right, startling her as dirt pelted her. She didn't take any shrapnel, so she kept running. Behind her, Rosie, Mica, Cherry and Ramsey ducked into a new foxhole and fired a spray of bullets at four Imperial scouts who were trying to rush Alicia's position through the smoke. Rosie hit one in the chest, a second in his legs, while Mica and Cherry shot the other two in the abdomen and head, respectively. Both of their targets perished. Ramsey, meanwhile, passed an extra clip over to Rosie, and then began rummaging through her pack for more ammo.

Ten meters left…

Two Imperial scouts saw Fina running to aid Alicia and took aim at her from their foxhole. Aika, spotting the scouts, fired a clip at them, hitting one scout in the ribcage. The other took cover as his comrade fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Next to Aika, Vyse sprayed a clip of rounds at the dozens of oncoming soldiers, shooting two in their legs. Three shock troopers took notice of Vyse and fired back, forcing him to take cover.

Ramsey shrieked as she took a bullet to her shoulder, sending her tumbling to the ground. Cherry ducked down and dropped her rifle as she tried to help Ramsey, who was screaming at the top of her lungs in pain. A second later, Nils raised his Lancaar and fired a round at an approaching tank, grazing the turret.

"Ergh, dammit! There's too many of them!" Vyse shouted as he fired a blind spray at the Imperials.

Meanwhile, up in the Gallian-controlled hills, Catherine, Oscar and Emile's scopes zoomed from left to right between targets. Oscar shot a lancer in his right arm, disabling him, while Emile hit a scout in his stomach.

Catherine, meanwhile, grimaced as she shot an Imperial sniper in his ribcage. "I won't let you take her from us…" Catherine quickly reloaded her GSR-XX and shouted, "Penetrate!" She then sent a round into a scout, piercing his chest. The scout toppled to the ground, instantly killed by the bullet.

As Fina reached the crater, the Edelweiss' cannon boomed, striking an Imperial tank in its turret and blowing it to a pile of scrap. Sliding to Alicia's side, Fina checked her pulse; there was a faint beat. A breath escaped Alicia's lips. She was still alive.

"Hang on, Alicia!" Fina shouted. "You'll be alright!" As Susie arrived next to her, Fina shouted, "Cover me while I get her onto the stretcher!"

Susie bent down with her rifle ready as Fina unpacked a stretcher and began moving Alicia onto it. It barely took ten seconds, though Fina was forced to pry the Ragnite lance from Alicia's fingertips. She would have to leave it and the shield behind.

"Susie, grab the rear end of the stretcher!"

"I got it!" Susie said as she moved to help Fina.

Then, all of a sudden, a black-armored shock trooper emerged from the smoke and jumped into the crater, a bayonet attached to his submachine gun. Susie shrieked as she raised her Gallian-SX, but the shock trooper knocked the rifle aside with his bayonet. Just as the shock trooper was about to end Susie's life, Fina grabbed the soldier from behind, trying to restrain him.

The shock trooper wrenched himself free of Fina's grip and struck her with an elbow, knocking her down. As Fina tried to recover, her eyes were met by the barrel of the shock trooper's submachine gun. Fina could only watch mutely as the shock trooper's finger closed around the trigger.

"FINA!" Susie shrieked.

Fina shut her eyes as she heard a panging noise, metal on metal, followed by a machine gun burst. Then, slowly she opened her eyes, realizing she was still alive. The shock trooper had fallen on his side, his dying shots having impacted around Fina. A bullet hole was in the right side of his black helmet.

As Susie looked at the dead soldier in mute horror, Fina looked off to the left in the direction of the shot. To her shock, she saw Juno standing on a nearby outcropping, though she hadn't made the shot. Next to her was Marina, who knelt on one knee, wounded and breathing heavily.

From her position, Catherine's eyes widened in shock as she saw Juno and Marina. Activating her earpiece, she shouted, "Marina, what in God's name are you doing!"

"…Get… Alicia… out of here…" Marina grunted as she slid open the loading chamber of her rifle. Juno, meanwhile, was applying more Ragnaid to Marina's wound.

At that moment, Fina had half a mind to scream at Marina for being so foolish, but realized she still had a job to do. As she turned to Susie, Fina shouted, "Come on, Susie! We have to go, now! Susie!"

Snapping out of her shock-induced trance, Susie scurried over to Fina and Alicia and took hold of the stretcher. Together, the two girls lifted Alicia up and began moving her out of the crater.

Fina and Susie ducked their heads as bullets whizzed around them, threatening to end their lives in an instant. Ahead of them, the Edelweiss fired another smoke round, which impacted only a few meters behind Fina and Susie, startling them. The two choked on the smoke as it engulfed them.

Looking at the two, Juno said, "They've got her. Oh, thank God."

"…They're not safe yet…"

Marina suddenly spotted a scout taking aim at Susie from behind. She quickly centered the scout in her sights and fired, blowing his helmet off. The scout fell onto his back, dead. A second later, Marina brought a second scout into her sights as she reloaded. Two seconds after she finished reloading, Marina shot the scout in his right temple.

As Marina slid open the loading chamber again, she suddenly gasped loudly in pain. The Ragnaid wasn't working to suppress the pain, it seemed. Marina was left almost convulsing in agony, but struggled to put a new round into the GSR-XX.

"Marina!" Catherine shouted over the radio. "You get yourself back to the aid station this second, young lady! Do you hear me!"

"…Can't leave yet… not until Alicia is… safe…"

"Marina, stop trying to be a hero! Get out, now!"

"…Sorry, Catherine… I… have to see this… through…"

Marina struggled to resist the pain as she closed the loading chamber of the GSR and took aim at another Imperial shock trooper. The rifle blared, shooting its round clean into the shock trooper's neck, instantly killing him.

Just as Marina had fired the shot, a massive jolt of pain coursed through her. Marina screamed as she clutched at her heart. She then felt something wet soak into her glove, and looked to see that it had been coated red in her blood.

"Marina, that's enough!" shouted Juno. "Your wounds have reopened! I have to get you out of here!"

"…No… not yet…!"

"Marina, you can't keep this up! You'll die!"

Marina grimaced as she clutched at her chest. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the familiar glint of a sniper scope in the Imperial trenches. An anti-tank round flew out from the sniper's ATR-X1, whizzing half a meter past Fina's left.

Despite cries of protest from both Juno and Catherine, Marina grunted in pain as she pulled open the loading chamber of the GSR and slid a new round into the chamber. As she slid the loading bolt back into place, Marina's vision started to blur heavily. The sounds of the battle were starting to become muffled, and Marina's body suddenly became heavy.

"I… I won't fail again!"

Marina's vision sharpened as she took aim at the enemy sniper. A second later, her rifle cracked as a round flew out, blowing a hole in the sniper's skull. The recoil made Marina cry out in an echoing howl of anguish.

As she watched the sniper tumble away, Marina's rifle clattered to the ground as it slipped from her fingers. She coughed as blood dripped from her mouth. Juno watched in mute horror as Marina vomited blood, making a small red pool in front of her.

Despite choking on her own blood and bile, Marina turned to look at Fina, Susie and Alicia. To her relief, Fina and Susie had made it past the Edelweiss and into the trenches. Alicia was safe.

"…Operations… complete…"

Suddenly, Marina felt her body become limp. Everything was becoming hazy and silent. Any strength she had once had was disappearing. She was so cold.

Juno watched in horror as Marina slumped over on her side. "Marina…? Marina!"

Juno bent down and checked Marina for a pulse. Though it was there, it was very faint and slow. Marina was barely breathing. Juno quickly tore open Marina's jacket, finding that her chest wound was steadily bleeding beneath the bandages, which were now red and moist.

From her perch, Catherine watched fearfully as Juno attempted to resuscitate Marina. "Oh God… no… Marina…"

Over the radio, Welkin said, "Juno, Mina's on her way! Do whatever it takes to keep Marina alive!"

Juno ran over to the motorcycle and opened up the trunk of the sidecar, finding a first aid kit. She rushed it over to Marina and pulled out a set of bandages, gauze, and an extra Ragnaid capsule. Blood coated Juno's hands as she tried to stop the bleeding with the gauze and Ragnaid, but Marina had been exposed to so much of the medicine that her body was beginning to reject it.

"Come on… Come on! Don't die on me!"

As Juno continued working on Marina, she didn't realize that someone was watching her.

* * *

Across the battlefield, about 500 meters away, Cezary aimed his GSR-XXR at Marina's position, watching as Juno attempted to revive the sniper. He had been pleasantly surprised to see Marina was still alive, and now had an excellent opportunity to finish her off. Unfortunately, from where he was, he now couldn't get a shot at Marina directly. But he still had an available target: Juno. If she died, Marina would die.

Centering his sights on Juno, Cezary said, "No one gets away from me. Not even you, Wulfstan."

Cezary pulled the trigger. His round flew in a curving arc due to the wind. A second later, Juno rolled over, screaming in pain from a bullet to her leg. Cezary couldn't hear the screams, but knew he had hit her hard.

"Hmph. So careless." He slid open the loading chamber to his rifle.

Then, to Cezary's shock, he felt a round graze his shoulder. Hissing in pain, Cezary clasped the wound as he ducked into the trenches. Someone had seen him. He would need to relocate.

"Dammit…!"

As he looked around, Cezary suddenly heard the chatter between Imperials increasing. The Empire's positions were being overrun by the Gallian Army on all fronts. Field commanders were calling a full retreat. Dozens of Imperial soldiers rushed over Cezary's position, fleeing for their lives.

Left with no choice, Cezary chose to flee as well and ran off into the trenches.

* * *

Back on her perch, Catherine's rifle billowed wisps of smoke. Her round had narrowly missed Cezary, blown off by an explosion in the bullet's flight path. Now he had fled.

But this wasn't on Catherine's mind. The screams from Juno prompted Catherine to turn toward the source of the cries. Catherine's heart was wracked with anguish. Two people she held dear were now in mortal peril, and there was nothing she could do…

Then, Catherine saw that Mina had arrived at Juno's position, accompanied by Edy, Homer and Nadine. Homer was busy tending to Juno, while Mina busily went to work trying to save Marina. It only slightly alleviated Catherine's fears; though Juno would be alright, Marina was still hanging on by a thread.

As she got to her feet, Catherine could hear incoming chatter from dozens of Gallian Army squads. The Imperials were in full retreat. The battle had been won.

* * *

_Marina slowly opened her eyes, finding herself standing in an infinite void. Everything was black or covered in a gray mist, yet Marina knew someone or something was near. Peering through the darkness, she saw a figure appear from the mist. A young Darcsen girl dressed in a shawl._

"…_Isara…?"_

"_It's been awhile, Marina," said Isara. "How's Welks been?"_

"…_Am I dead…?"_

_Isara giggled for a second. "You're always so direct." A second later, in a more serious tone, Isara said, "No, you're not yet. It seems that there's still some purpose left for you in the world of the living."_

"…_What do you mean?"_

"_Honestly, I'm not quite sure. Maybe there's still some battle you need to fight, or someone you're meant to protect."_

"…"

_There was a moment of silence between the two. Then Isara said, "Marina, I know you feel regret for failing me, but please don't take it so hard. What happened to me happened for a reason. I admit I was scared when it happened, but I was also ready to die."_

"…_Isara, I–"_

"_You don't need to apologize. That's just how war works. People die at the drop of an eyelash; it's that simple."_

"…_I failed you, Isara… But I won't fail the others or Gallia again… I'll lay down my life if I have to…!"_

"_Marina, stop it. Do you really think that's what the others would want of you?"_

_Marina was caught off guard by this. What was Isara saying? Was she saying that Marina should stop being a protector of Gallia's people?_

"_Do you remember what Welkin said when Squad Seven was first formed? He said that one's own life is the most important thing in battle. He said that as long as you're alive, there's hope. If you end up dying to protect Gallia, then you won't be able to continue protecting it. Only by living on can you truly succeed at your mission."_

"…_Isara…"_

_A moment of silence passed. Then, Marina saw Isara becoming enshrouded by gray mist. Before she could do anything, Isara said, "Looks like it's time for you to go back, Marina. Don't worry; I'm sure we'll see each other again someday."_

"…_Understood…"_

"_Say hi to Rosie for me, would you?" With a short smile, Isara vanished._

* * *

Marina's ears were met by the howl of the wind, and her eyes were met by a blue blur. She groaned as the picture began to come into focus, and the sounds of voices filled her ears. Her body still felt heavy, but it was now warm.

Marina then heard muffled voices. "–rina? Marina? Catherine, come quick!" It was Fina's voice.

As her vision began to sharpen, Marina saw Fina looming over her, her blond hair a mess. Seconds later, Catherine moved up beside Fina.

Fina then said, "I've gotta go check on Ramsey. I'll be back in a minute."

Looking at Catherine, Marina couldn't tell if she was furious or thankful from her expression.

"You have NO idea how much trouble you're in, young lady…!" said Catherine, each word slow and rife with anger. Then, her voice sped up, nearly screaming as she said, "First you try and take on a Valkyria by yourself, and barely twelve hours later you waltz out of the aid station so you can keep fighting? What the hell did you think you were doing? And how could you have dragged Juno into it? You almost killed yourself out there and she ended up with a bullet in her leg! Do you have any idea how worried I was for the two of you?"

"…Shut up…" Marina said weakly.

Catherine stopped her screams as a look of astonishment appeared on her face. She hadn't expected Marina to show such defiance in her condition.

In a mumble, Marina added, "…Too loud…"

Catherine was dumbstruck. Even having twice had a brush with death, Marina still acted so arrogantly. And yet, for some reason, it made Catherine happy to see Marina act in such a way.

"Oh, God… I give up… You've never listened to me before, so why did I think you were going to in this case?"

"…Be quiet…"

A second later, Catherine began to laugh as tears streamed down her face. "I just don't know what I'm going to do with you, Marina," said Catherine.

Outside the tent, Rosie's voice answered, "Maybe you should try letting her get some rest."

Catherine turned her head to see Rosie and Largo enter the medical tent.

"We could all hear you screaming from a mile away," added Rosie. "Cut her some slack, would ya?"

"I– um…"

"Rosie's right," said Largo. "Besides, I don't think we could've gotten Alicia back without her help."

Catherine wanted to say something, but relented with a sigh. There was no arguing the point that Fina, Susie and Alicia would've been killed if Marina hadn't been there to save them.

Deciding not to deprive Marina of any needed rest, Catherine walked out of the tent. Largo chose to follow her, though Rosie stayed behind.

"I have to admit, Marina," said Rosie. "That was pretty crazy of you. We were all worried that you weren't gonna make it."

"…Where's Sergeant Melchiott?"

"Huh? Alicia? Oh, she woke up about a half-hour ago. Fina says she's gonna be just fine. At least, she thinks so."

"…Good…"

"I still can't believe it. I mean, Alicia's a Valkyria? Who woulda thought it?"

"…"

As Rosie continued to comment on the subject, Marina's mind turned to her earlier confrontation with Faldio. No one else appeared to know he had been the one who shot Alicia yet. Knowing this, Marina was unsure whether or not she should tell them.

After a few seconds, Rosie's voice suddenly turned to a more solemn tone as she said, "The boss isn't taking it very well. Finding out Alicia's a Valkyria was… well, harsh for him."

Marina knew it was no secret that Welkin had become very close to Alicia as of late. Learning she was such a powerful being had likely made a rift between the two.

"…"

It was then that Marina made her decision. She would have to keep Faldio's crime a secret. If Welkin or Alicia were to learn the truth, they would likely crumble under the weight of everything that had transpired.

"Well, I'd better get going," said Rosie. "Try to get some rest, would ya?"

As Rosie walked toward the exit, Marina said, "…Wait…"

"Huh?"

"…Isara… said "hi"…"

Rosie shut her eyes as she smiled, then turned and left the tent.

A few minutes later, Marina shut her eyes, choosing for once to rest herself. She hadn't the strength to do anything else.

* * *

Outside, Catherine sat down at a table. She was still angry at Marina for almost dying, but was also relieved that she was going to survive.

With a sigh, Catherine said, "That stupid girl… how could she be so reckless?"

"You have to give her some credit, Cath," said Largo as he sat down opposite Catherine. "We'd have lost Alicia if it weren't for her."

"I know, I know. It's just… she's so much like Marcus."

"Cath, lemme ask you something. You keep treating Marina like she's some kid. I wanna know why."

Catherine didn't answer immediately, but sighed and said, "When Marcus died, he left in his will that I was to be Marina's godmother. He wanted me to look after her, and to keep her safe."

"I get it. You don't like how she's always putting others before herself."

"Of course I don't! I mean, I'm proud of her and all, but I… I just don't want to lose her like I lost Pam."

Largo paused at this. He had known Pamela Coren quite well, and her death had been quite a shock to him back when he was younger. But he had also seen what it had done to Catherine; it made her afraid to get too close to others for fear of losing them.

"It was just like back then. The way she kept shooting, even though she was bleeding to death. I kept telling her to stop, but she just wouldn't listen."

Largo didn't say anything to this. There was nothing really to say.

"Largo, why does she have to keep doing this? Why does she keep putting herself in death's way?"

Pausing for a moment, Largo said, "Well, it's like you said. She's just like Marcus was."

Catherine looked at Largo, confused as to what he meant.

"He was always putting himself in harm's way to keep the rest of us safe. I guess that's why so many people saw him as a hero."

"You think Marina's doing this just to be like him?"

"Actually, I don't. I talked to the kid once about it, and she said she wasn't trying to live up to him, but to his mission."

"Mission?"

"Keeping Gallia safe from her enemies, no matter what."

Catherine didn't say anything, but was left brooding over Largo's words.

**End of Chapter 5**

That was fun, huh? Please leave reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

The first version of this one took me forever to write, but it was worth every moment. I KNOW you'll enjoy this one.

**Chapter 6: Command**

Catherine stood anxiously at the western end of the militia's frontline base, which was currently situated in the small town of Plinth. At least half-a-dozen transport trucks were coming in, loaded with fresh troops and ammunition, and flanked by additional soldiers, but these weren't what Catherine was looking for. None of the new faces she was seeing was the one she was expecting.

Then, to her relief, she saw her sitting in the back of a jeep, trying to stay out of a conversation between two young men. But then she soon noticed Catherine, prompting her to tap the driver on his shoulder and ask him to stop the vehicle.

The driver coasted the jeep to a slow stop, allowing Marina to get out of the vehicle. She looked back at Catherine, who was now waving at her, and then made her way through the crowd of soldiers to join up with her.

"About bloody time you got here, Marina," said Catherine. "I thought for a moment that you weren't going to be with this new batch."

"One of the trucks had a burnout. Took a while for them to fix it…"

"Well, I'm just glad that you're back. And to think, you were only in recovery for two weeks. You sure they didn't let you out early?"

"…"

Realizing the answer behind Marina's silence, Catherine said, "Come on. Let's get you brought up to speed."

* * *

As Marina had learned from the others, the Gallian Army had been busy pushing the Imperial Army back toward the border. With the defeat of their Valkyria at Naggiar, the Empire's morale had crumbled, while Gallia's had skyrocketed. The militia had mostly been making several attack operations against minor Imperial outposts, earning multiple victories, but at an unnecessary cost in lives. General Damon, it seemed, wanted to win the war quickly rather than through caution now that he had momentum.

Squad Seven had been given most of the more difficult assignments, attacking heavily fortified positions that usually had large numbers of Imperial soldiers. It was as though the squad were being picked on by the higher-ups due to their fame, which seemed to rub badly on the Regular Army. Still, little could be done about it, though many of the Sevens were now openly voicing their discontent against General Damon.

Unfortunately, these open-voiced complaints had not gone unnoticed, or unpunished. Damon, who clearly disliked being ridiculed by the militia, had almost gone so far as to court-martial a few of the Sevens for "spreading dissention". Thankfully, he never got very far with it; too many people were voicing the same opinions for him to randomly target a few unlucky soldiers and get away with it. He still got back at the Sevens by sending them on multiple missions in quick succession, barely giving them time to rest.

In a nutshell, Marina was thankful to hear that, so far, Squad Seven was doing very well for itself at the moment, despite its workload.

But then, Catherine dropped a bombshell on her. "The lieutenant found out who shot Alicia. It was Lieutenant Landzaat."

So Welkin and Alicia now knew.

"…What happened to him?"

"He was arrested by Captain Varrot, and he's now awaiting a military trial. I also hear Lieutenant Gunther slugged him one before they took him away. He had to spend a whole day in his quarters for it."

"…I see…"

"The others are a bit divided on the captain's choice on this. Some of them think Lieutenant Landzaat did the right thing shooting Alicia, since we couldn't have won Naggiar without her powers. Others think his actions were… abominable."

"…And what do you think?"

"I don't know, actually. I mean… to shoot a dear friend like that… that's just unforgivable. But on the other hand, if he hadn't, the Imperials would've wiped us out. It's hard to pick a side in all this."

"…"

"What about you, Marina? What do you think?"

"…I'd have let Alicia know first before shooting her…"

Catherine didn't respond to this; Marina's answer was quite deep, as if she knew more than she did. Did she? Catherine couldn't be sure.

The discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Rosie, who was accompanied by Cherry. "Well hey, the wolf's back with the pack!" said Rosie. "Good to see you, Marina."

"…Rosie."

Then, Marina noticed a change in Rosie's rank emblem. The shield shape was now designed more fancifully – the rank of a sergeant. Rosie had apparently been promoted since Naggiar.

"…Nice badge."

"Yeah, I got it after Naggiar. Hector and Juno also got the rank. A few of the others made corporal, too."

"Me included!" said Cherry, flashing her corporal badge to Marina. "Though I think that sergeant's badge would look just perfect on me, ya know."

After a second, Catherine suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, shoot! I almost forgot! Marina, Lieutenant Gunther wanted to see you as soon as you got back."

"He's in the briefing room right now with the other squad leaders, but they'll probably be done soon," said Rosie. "Come on, I'll take you to him."

Rosie then led Marina and Catherine toward the command center, located in the town hall of Plinth.

* * *

Captain Varrot stood before a map of the region, outlining several Imperial outposts that needed to be cleared for the day. Though all the squad leaders were attentive to her instructions, she could tell none of them were looking forward to the day's assignments. Still, it couldn't be helped; the outposts stood between the Gallian Army and the Empire's base of operations at Ghirlandaio.

Finishing with her briefing, Varrot said, "Any questions?" When no one responded, she said, "You all have your orders. Dismissed."

As the Gallian officers began to pile out of the briefing room, Welkin was the last to leave. A lot was on his mind: Alicia's Valkyrur abilities, Faldio's betrayal, and his responsibility to his squad all wracked his mind. There were times in the past few days where he had wanted to run away from it all, but he had stopped himself from doing so. Too much was at stake for him to give in to his personal feelings at this point.

As Welkin made his way to his temporary office and stood outside the door, a voice said, "Hey boss, I got someone here to see you."

Looking down the hall, Welkin saw Rosie, Cherry, Catherine and, to his surprise, Marina. As the group walked up to him, he said, "Marina? Good to have you back. Things have been kind of all over the place over the time you've been gone."

"…So I've heard."

As Welkin opened the door to his office and went inside, Catherine said to Marina, "We'll wait out here until you two are finished."

Marina followed Welkin into the office, which was far less decorative than his one at Fort Amatriain. Of course, it was just a temporary setup.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"I did." By this time, Welkin had entered the room and was now seating himself behind a desk. As Marina stood before the desk, he continued, "It concerns a small mission we've been handed by Captain Varrot. There's a town about fifteen kilometers to the north called Asperg that's made a request for an evacuation. The town's close to the Imperial lines, but there hasn't been that much activity in the northern region as of late. Still, I'm to send a small group to supervise the evacuation, which is being mainly carried out by a squad of newer recruits. We need some people with experience to keep them from going out of control."

"If it's an order, I'll go…"

"Thank you. I don't expect there to be any trouble on this one, so you can take it easy. You'll be with Susie and… Alicia on this one."

Marina instantly caught Welkin's hesitance on using Alicia's name. Things clearly weren't working out between the two since Naggiar. Still, she chose not to question him on the matter.

"Also, one other thing," Welkin continued.

He then opened a small shelf in the desk and pulled out a badge, placing it on the desk. It was another insignia of a sergeant.

"This came in for you from command."

Marina was simply dumbstruck. She had also been promoted to a non-commissioned officer rank? The idea made her feel sick. She had no desire to be in a position where she would have to command others. That involved getting to know one's subordinates, something Marina loathed.

"…Great…"

Welkin easily detected the loathing in Marina's voice. "Listen, I know you're not keen on this rank, but it's not up to me. It came directly from General Damon."

"…Damn…"

Marina quickly surmised why Damon had personally had her promoted. The general had known her father back in EWI, and despite the fact that Marcus had been part of the militia his reputation had garnered the respect of Gallia's Regular Army. Damon probably sought to publicize Marina's deeds to the people, turning her into a "poster girl" for the war.

It was a sickening thought. Marina would be given crushing expectations from Gallia's people, especially the nobility, to "win the war" for them, no matter the cost. Marina loathed the idea of all the attention she'd be receiving. Still, since it was Damon's direct order that she be promoted, she had no choice.

Reluctantly, Marina took hold of the sergeant badge and left Welkin's office. But as she did, she was quickly caught by Catherine, Rosie and Cherry. They all immediately saw the badge in Marina's hand.

Catherine then said, "Is that what I think it is?" Then, with a short laugh, she added, "Congratulations, Marina! Or I should say Sergeant Wulfstan."

"Awwwww," said Cherry. "I'm so jealous of you, Marina. I mean, that patch is gonna look sooo good on you."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised," said Rosie. "You've earned every bit of that promotion."

"…Will you all just shut up?"

The others looked on in confusion as Marina stormed away from them, clearly in a bad mood.

* * *

Alicia sat on a small crate as she watched several dozen new faces pile out of a convoy of trucks, each young and many eager to get into combat. She felt sorry for the eager ones; they were usually the ones who got killed because they would do something stupid. What was worse was that many of them weren't even eighteen yet. They had lived very limited lives, lives which could be ended in a flash.

Looking at Susie, who sat next to her, Alicia thought about just how lucky her best friend was to have survived this long, let alone unscathed. Susie was in a particularly good mood this morning; the mission they were meant to embark upon in the next hour would be something of a family reunion for her. A few of Susie's relatives had an inn in Asperg, and she was excited to see them again.

"Oh, it'll be so good to see Uncle Albert and Auntie Doris, Alicia," said Susie. "I haven't seen them or the twins in almost two years."

As Susie said this, Alicia also thought about how she envied Susie for having family. Alicia had always been an orphan, and for many years her only family had been those in the Bruhl Town Patrol, as well as those in Bruhl's bakery where she used to work. But many of the Town Patrol were now gone, and the bakery seemed like such a distant thing to her.

So much had changed since those halcyon days…

Suddenly, Alicia's train of thought was broken as a young man said, "Hey, it's her! It's the Valkyria!"

Alicia's head shot up as she saw a quartet of new recruits walk up to her, each a varying age. But they all had a similar look on their face: one of praise for Alicia. Said praise quickly made Alicia feel uncomfortable.

"We heard you were the one who beat the Imperials at Naggiar, Sergeant Melchiott!" said a sixteen-year-old boy with short blonde hair.

"Oh, I love that red scarf!" said a seventeen-year-old girl with straight brown hair. "Did you get it off one of the Imps?"

"We're all new here, Miss Valkyria," said a twenty-something-year-old man, this one with glasses and slick black hair. "And we were hoping that maybe you could give us a few tips on how to fight the Imps?"

"Yeah, tell us how, ma'am!" said the fourth soldier, a girl with dyed green hair who looked no older than fifteen. "Please, show us how to kill those Imperial bastards!"

Alicia was mortified to hear these things from the soldiers. They were begging her to show them how to take lives! They thought she was some kind of idol, one they could imitate in their battles!

Next to Alicia, Susie said, "How can you ask her to do such a horrible thing?"

The recruits ignored Susie and continued to bombard Alicia with their praise. Alicia clasped her hands over her ears, trying to drown out their words without success.

She shut her eyes as she whimpered, "Stop it…!"

The recruits continued to harass Alicia, ignoring Susie's pleas for them to stop.

Then, the brunette suddenly reached for Alicia's scarf as she said, "Lemme see that scarf!"

As the girl reached for Alicia, a hand suddenly darted out from behind and caught her wrist. The recruits went silent with surprise.

Holding the brunette's wrist tightly, Marina said, "You'll keep that hand of yours to yourself."

"Huh? And who are you supposed to be?" the brunette said haughtily.

"Marina Wulfstan."

All four of the recruits suddenly began to sweat, now in the presence of the famed Ghost of Gallia. The brunette was now stammering nervously.

Releasing the brunette's wrist, Marina then said, "Let's get something straight. The four of you are going to leave Alicia alone unless you've got someone trying to turn you into a bullet sponge. If I catch any of you giving her a hard time again, you'll find yourself in my sights. Is that clear?"

The recruits all answered, "Yes ma'am!" nervously. They then took off, terrified of Marina's threat.

As Marina took a seat opposite Alicia and Susie, Susie said, "W-Wow, Marina. Did you have to threaten them like that? I mean, you wouldn't really–"

"No… Doesn't mean I wouldn't shoot one of them in the leg, though…"

"M-Marina! How could you?"

"Thanks, Marina," said Alicia, interrupting Susie. Looking up at the sniper, Alicia said, "That's another one I owe you."

"…"

"I'm sorry you had to get involved."

"…They needed someone to tell them to shut up. That's all it was."

"Either way, I'm glad you came along. And I'm glad you're back with the squad. Things just haven't felt as… safe without you around."

"…"

"By the way, nice new badge. I guess it had to happen at some point."

"…Where are we going?"

"Huh?"

"Our mission. I'm supposed to be with the two of you for the day."

"Oh, we're heading to Asperg," said Susie. "My aunt and uncle live there. It'll be so good to see them!"

"…Lovely…"

Susie didn't catch the sarcasm in Marina's voice as the three went toward a truck that was to take them to Asperg.

* * *

About an hour or so later, around 2:00PM, Marina sat down inside a transport truck next to Alicia, Susie, and about five other new recruits. A second truck was following behind theirs, filled with eight more soldiers and some medical supplies. In all, the whole unit amounted to twenty militiamen, including the drivers.

For much of the trip, Marina did her best to ignore the chatter from the new recruits in the truck. Most of the conversation was what Marina expected: young blood out to prove themselves and craving action. It was idiotic to Marina; the kinds of people who said such things generally ended up dead after one battle. Only through caution had the Sevens survived for so long, and with so few casualties.

On the other hand, Marina noticed how Alicia had been silent for almost the whole trip. What was worse was that she held a depressed expression on her face. Carrying the weight of a Valkyria's power was clearly detrimental to Alicia. Marina didn't blame her; it would take a different kind of person altogether to handle the power of a Valkyria mentally.

Then, the silence between the Sevens was broken as Susie said, "We're almost there, Alicia. You're going to love it in Asperg."

Suddenly, the whole truck jolted as the driver slammed on the brakes. Everyone in the back, Marina included, was thrown around by the sudden stop. Behind them, the second truck also skidded to a stop, tossing around its occupants.

As the passengers managed to recollect themselves, the unanimous question was why the trucks had stopped. Quickly getting up, Marina walked up toward the front of the truck and opened a window flap.

Marina's single revealed eye widened. Thick smoke was rising from a town just ahead. Asperg had been attacked.

"Marina, what's going on?" Susie asked as she quickly moved up to the window flap.

Seeing the rising smoke, Susie gasped in horror. She stumbled backward, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"No… it can't be…"

Alicia took out a pair of binoculars as she looked out the window flap. For about twenty seconds, she peered around Asperg. There were no Imperials in sight. But at the same time, there were no villagers in sight either.

Stashing away her binoculars, Alicia banged on the side of the truck and said, "Take us in! We have to see if there are any survivors!"

The truck lurched as it began to roll forward. The second truck rolled forward in pursuit of the first.

Marina sat down as she slid open the loading chamber to her GSR-XX and loaded a round into her rifle. Around her, the militiamen checked their own weapons, readying themselves for a fight.

Within a minute or so, the trucks stopped at Asperg's entrance, and the militiamen of Gallia piled out and dashed into the streets.

* * *

The scene in Asperg wasn't at all what Marina had expected at the start of the trip. Smoke and flame rose from the few homes in the village, which also showed various signs of structural damage. But that wasn't the worst of it…

"Oh no…" Alicia gasped silently.

Littering the streets were dozens of bodies; women, children, and the elderly, all victims of gunshot wounds. None of them had any weapons, and none were soldiers. They were innocent bystanders, and they had been brutally slaughtered like cattle.

The militiamen slowly moved through the blood-soaked streets of Asperg, trying to search for survivors. As she looked around, Marina's exposed eye turned to Susie, who had turned a sickly white. She was trembling all over, unable to believe what she was seeing. Admittedly, Marina found it hard to believe as well.

Then, Susie gasped in horror as she saw a building in the middle of town. A sign hanging over the door of the inn said, "The Sheep Sleep", its letters etched over the image of a slumbering sheep. The front wall had been blown down by explosive rounds.

"Uncle Albert!" Susie screamed as she sprinted for the inn. "Auntie Doris!"

Alicia quickly ran after Susie, though Marina chose to follow cautiously at a slow walk. As Susie entered the inn, Marina heard her scream loudly. "Uncle Albert! NOOO!"

Quickening her pace, Marina marched into the inn. Susie had buried her face in her hands as she stood before the body of a man, somewhere in his mid-fifties, dead from three rifle bullets to his chest. Marina figured he was Susie's uncle, for Susie was crying uncontrollably.

Looking around the inn, Marina saw the floor was littered with bodies and debris, and the floor had become sticky with blood. Blood stained the walls, as if spread like paint. The stench of death permeated the air nauseatingly.

Susie stumbled through the inn, traumatized by the image of her dead uncle. Alicia followed Susie as she walked into the kitchen. Then, Susie gasped as her eyes fixed onto a second terrible sight.

In the kitchen were the bodies of a woman and her twin daughters, all dead from bullet wounds. The woman had eight entry wounds in her back; she had evidently died trying to shield her children from a sub-machinegun, but to no avail. Both children lay on the ground, their clothes soiled with blood.

"Auntie Doris… Tora… Nora…" Susie fell to her knees in despair at the sight of her dead relatives. "This… how could this happen…? Why…?"

Kneeling down next to her childhood friend, Alicia said, "I wish I knew, Susie."

Then, Susie broke down and began to wail loudly, burying her face on Alicia's shoulder. Marina watched as Alicia wrapped an arm around Susie, trying to comfort her.

After about a minute of Susie's tears, Alicia said, "Susie, I… I'm so sorry…"

"I'll check the upper floors," said Marina, though neither Alicia nor Susie acknowledged her.

As Alicia continued to comfort Susie, Marina made her way up the stairs of the inn, continuing her search for survivors.

* * *

Within the darkened homes of Asperg, several soldiers in black Imperial armor kept themselves hidden in the shadows from the Gallian militia. Opposite the inn, two soldiers watched as a pair of militia soldiers, both young women, re-entered the lobby, one in tears.

One of the soldiers flicked on his earpiece and whispered, "It's her, captain. What are your orders?"

From the soldier's earpiece, a domineering, snobbish voice said, "I can see that, lieutenant! Are your men in place?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Remember: I want the Valkyria alive."

"What about her companions?"

"Hmm, grab the blonde too. I'd rather not let such a pretty little thing go to waste. Kill the others."

* * *

Alicia held a hand to her earpiece as she and Susie returned to the lobby. Susie was still crying and had her face buried in her hands.

After a few more seconds, Alicia finally got a signal from Welkin. "Welkin, its Alicia. We're in Asperg, and… and…"

"What is it? What's wrong" asked Welkin.

"Welkin, they're dead. Everyone in the village…"

"What? Are you sure?"

"I wish I weren't, but we haven't found anyone who's still alive. Even Susie's aunt and uncle… they're all gone…" After a few seconds of silence, besides Susie's sobs, Alicia asked, "Welkin, why would the Imperials do this? These people were innocent, women and children. What could they have to gain by killing them all?"

"I don't know, Alicia." Welkin paused for a moment, and then said, "Wait there. I'll bring the rest of the squad so we can give those people a proper burial."

"Thank you, Welkin. I–"

Suddenly, Alicia was startled by the sound of shattering glass, followed by a noise akin to a rock rolling across the floor. Looking down, Alicia watched in horror as a gas grenade rolled up to her feet. The canister hissed loudly as Ragnite gas spewed out, quickly engulfing the room in a blue haze.

Alicia gasped in shock, and then quickly wished she hadn't. Upon inhaling the gas, she began to cough as her body started to weaken. She tried to cover her mouth, but it was already too late; the gas was already coursing through her, making every part of her body feel numb. Her vision became a complete blur, and any sounds she could hear became muffled and faint. Next to her, Susie experienced the same effects, causing her to fall to her hands and knees.

Alicia heard Welkin's voice through her earpiece. "Alicia, what's going on? What's happening? Alicia? ALICIA!"

"We-Welkin…"

Alicia blacked out as she fell to the ground and lay down on her side. Susie slumped over as she too lost consciousness.

* * *

Marina moved cautiously as she moved through the halls of the inn's upper floors. The stench of blood and gangrene was sickening; she normally didn't have to get close to the carnage of battle, being a sniper. Bodies were littered in various places, consisting of old couples, women and children.

Then, in one room, Marina turned to see the body of a six-year-old girl in a corner. The girl had been shot through heart. Dried blood coated her small nightgown and, to Marina's grief, the girl held a stuffed porcavian in her hand. The toy had been damaged, with bits of stuffing protruding from a rip in its underside.

Walking over to the dead girl, Marina knelt down and brushed a small lock of hair out of the girl's still-opened eyes. Marina then wondered why she had done such a thing, as the girl gave no response to her touch.

Marina was used to seeing atrocities like this from her experiences at Fouzen, but the scene was still hard for her to take in. She couldn't understand why the Imperials would do such a thing; there was nothing to gain. So why massacre a village of innocent bystanders? It didn't make sense.

The echo of a gunshot caught Marina's attention. It was followed by several more, and accompanied by the screams of soldiers. Marina readied her GSR-XX as she moved to the next room, where she edged cautiously over to a nearby window.

Outside of the inn, the militiamen panicked as they were fired on by no fewer than twenty Imperial soldiers in black armor, who had hidden themselves away in the homes of the dead villagers. They had been caught in a trap, and though they did whatever they could to try and counterattack, it was to no avail. One by one, the militiamen were being brutally gunned down.

Marina eyed an Imperial soldier manning an LMG and took aim at him with her rifle. A second later, a sniper bullet careened through the air and pierced through the gunner's helmet. The gunner toppled backward, already dead.

But as Marina had fired, an Imperial scout saw her shot from inside a home on the opposite side of the street. Turning to a lancer next to him, he shouted, "Sniper! Third floor, on the right!"

Looking up at the inn, the lancer saw Marina. He raised his V8 PL to the window and took aim at Marina.

From her window, Marina peered around for more targets. Then, she saw an officer in one of the buildings to the rear of the Imperial positions. She quickly realized who it was, much to her surprise.

"…It can't be…"

Suddenly, Marina realized that she had been spotted. Looking down, she saw as a lancer round flew out of a window, straight at her. She dove for the floor as the entire room was enveloped in a shrapnel-loaded fireball. Stone and plaster rained down onto the street as the wall of the room crumbled inward.

Looking up at the inn, the Imperial scout saw no sign of a sniper. With a smirk, he gave the lancer a pat on the back and said, "Nice shot."

The lancer said nothing, but chuckled evilly at his handiwork.

* * *

Within half a minute after the first shots were fired, the gunshots and screams fell silent as the last militia soldier took a salvo to his back. The Imperial soldiers began to pour into the streets, shooting the bodies of the militiamen to make sure they were dead.

Two black armored shock troopers entered the still-hazy inn, both wearing gas masks. Seconds later, a pale 43-year-old man in an officer's uniform strode into the building, also wearing a gas mask. His short black hair was slick and matched his well-trimmed black moustache, the latter which was hidden beneath his mask. His gaunt face and eerie brown eyes gave off the impression of a ghoul.

Giorgios Geld knelt down to take a closer look at Alicia and Susie, who both lay unconscious on the inn floor. "So this is Gallia's savior?" Geld mused. "Such a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Then, eying Susie, he added, "Although I've always been more particular to blondes."

Geld reached over to Alicia's ear and removed her earpiece communicator. He then heard a voice shouting, "Alicia? Alicia, come in! Alicia, are you there? Ali–"

Welkin's voice was cut off as Geld dropped the earpiece to the ground and crushed it beneath the heel of one of his polished black boots. Seconds later, he did the same to Susie's earpiece.

Turning to his two subordinates, Geld said, "Put them in the back of my car. We leave in ten minutes, no exceptions. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" the two shock troopers said in unison.

As Geld left the ruined building, the shock troopers scooped up Alicia and Susie and carried them out of the inn.

Less than ten minutes later, Geld and his crew were gathered at the east end of Asperg. Alicia and Susie, their arms and legs bound by rope, were both strapped into the back seat of a black staff car, in which Geld sat in the passenger seat.

As the last of his men loaded onto a pair of trucks, Geld gave the order to leave Asperg. His staff car led the two trucks down the road to the east, in the direction of the Imperial lines.

* * *

"Marina? Marina? Are you alright?" said a familiar voice.

Marina groaned as she stirred, slowly opening her eyes, while her ears were met by the sound of heavy rain. She was met by the sight of Catherine, who was soaked head to toe and bore a look of relief on her face.

"…Ow…"

"Oh, thank God you're alive! We lost all contact with your group, and I– we feared the worst."

Marina grunted as she pushed herself back up. She was sore all over and had a few small cuts, but nothing seemed to be broken. She had a throbbing headache, though.

"What happened to you?" Catherine asked.

"…I don't know… Last thing I remember is a lancer round hitting the room."

Looking to the side, Marina and Catherine both looked at a large hole in the wall of the room. Plaster, crumbled bricks, and broken glass littered the floor. Outside, rain was pouring down, washing away the blood in the streets. It was starting to become dark out. Marina guessed she had been unconscious for a few hours now. Checking her watch, Marina saw it was now around 5:30PM.

"Certainly made a mess, didn't it?" Catherine said somewhat jokingly. "Come on, let's get you downstairs and have a medic take a look at you."

"I'll live," Marina said as she stood up and dusted herself off.

Catherine watched, somewhat annoyed, as Marina casually walked off down the hallway to the stairs. She quickly chose to follow her to the bottom floor.

Outside the inn, Marina saw several of the Sevens placing the dead militiamen and civilians into body bags, which were also being flooded with water. None of them were enjoying it. But as Marina looked over the bodies, she realized something.

"…Where are Alicia and Susie?"

"We don't know. Their bodies aren't among the dead. All we found were their earpieces, both smashed, and a spent Ragnite gas canister."

"…"

Marina then saw Welkin standing next to the Edelweiss, clearly upset that Alicia and Susie were missing. Largo was next to him. Welkin held in his hand a pair of crushed earpieces. In his frustration, he pounded a fist onto the side of the tank.

As Marina walked toward the two, Largo said to Welkin, "Don't worry, boss-man. We'll find them."

Walking up to Welkin, Marina said, "Lieutenant Gunther."

"Marina… Good to see you're still in one piece," said Welkin.

"…"

"Listen, I know you've been through a lot today, but–"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I have no idea where Sergeant Melchiott or Private Evans are." Marina already knew what Welkin was going to ask her.

"…I see…" Marina's answer clearly didn't help Welkin's worries. "Is there anything you may know that could help us?"

"…Maybe. I know who was behind the ambush."

"You do?" asked Largo. "Who was it?"

"Giorgios Geld."

"Geld? You're sure it was him?"

"I'm sure. I saw his face, clear as day."

"No…" said Welkin, his tone one of dread.

Marina knew what she had just said was going to make Welkin worry even more, but it had to be said. Squad Seven had crossed paths with Giorgios Geld before, shortly after the liberation of Fouzen. Geld was a notorious war criminal, made infamous for numerous accounts of torturing his prisoners, even civilians. He had been captured once by Squad Seven and had been handed back to the Imperials in a prisoner exchange.

Now, it seemed he was back for revenge. But was it that simple? Marina didn't think it was. If it were, Alicia and Susie would've been among the dead of Asperg. The fact that they were missing probably meant they had been captured.

"I'll let Elle know about this, boss," said Largo. "Geld's not gonna get away with this if we can help it."

"Thank you, Largo," Welkin said, though he still had his worried tone.

* * *

Walking alone through the streets of Asperg, Marina watched as more and more bodies were placed into black bags, which were promptly sealed. It was a pitiful sight; so many needless deaths, all to satisfy the euphoria of a madman.

Geld was just the kind of man Marina had sworn to protect Gallia against. But she had been left unable to defeat him. And now Alicia and Susie were both missing, likely his prisoners. Who knew what horrors awaited them in his clutches?

Then, Marina got the familiar feeling that someone was looking at her. Turning, she saw Noce Wordsworth storming toward her. She could tell he was angry with her; Noce had strong feelings for Alicia, despite hers for Welkin. Learning that Alicia was missing was probably something of a shock to him.

Storming up to Marina, Noce said, "How could you screw up like this?"

"…What?"

"How could you let them take her? And Susie? What the hell were you doing?"

"…"

Grabbing Marina by the collar, Noce shouted, "Why didn't you stop those monsters from taking Alicia? Why didn't you protect her?"

Marina said nothing, but simply stared back at Noce. Though that was mostly enough to send others packing, Noce didn't flinch to Marina's gaze.

"Noce, that's enough!" shouted Rosie, who quickly separated the Bruhl scout from Marina. "It's not her fault this happened!"

Noce wanted to continue shouting at Marina for failing Alicia, but knew it wouldn't accomplish anything. He stormed away from the two sergeants as they turned and went into an adjacent tavern.

Turning to Marina, Rosie said, "Hey Wulfstan, are you gonna put up with that kind of crap or what?"

Taking a small sip of water from a scotch glass, Marina said, "I didn't need your help dealing with him."

"Marina, Noce has no right to blame you for what happened. He's just too stupid to see that. You need to put him in his place next time you see him."

"…"

After a short pause, Marina and Rosie looked as Aisha ran into the center of the street and shouted, "Everyone! Mr. Welkin wants everyone in front of the inn!"

The Sevens quickly dropped what they were doing and ran down the streets to the inn. Turning to Marina, Rosie said, "Come on. We'd better see what the boss wants."

Marina waited for Rosie to walk out of the bar and out of sight. Then, in a small fit of anger, she tossed the scotch glass as hard as she could into a far wall. Glass shattered loudly as Marina planted her hands on the counter of the bar, trying to contain her frustration.

To her, Noce was right. She had screwed up.

Little did Marina know that, outside, Catherine watched Marina's outburst.

* * *

"Squad Seven, listen up!" Welkin shouted, grabbing the squad's attention. "Based on the evidence we were able to find, and on Marina's report of the battle, we've concluded that Alicia and Susie have been taken captive by Imperial forces."

Welkin's announcement clearly didn't sit well with the squad. Many became anxious at hearing such terrible news; being captured wasn't much better than being killed when it came to the Imperials.

Aika was the first to ask "Any idea where they went, boss?"

"Normally, we would assume that they could only have gone east."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Edy. "Whaddaya mean "normally"?"

Before Welkin could answer, Marina turned to Edy and said, "The person who was responsible for Alicia and Susie's abduction was Giorgios Geld."

The name Geld prompted a great deal of concerned chatter. Alicia and Susie being his captives was a horrifying thought to the Sevens.

"You're sure of this?" asked Hector.

"I saw his face," Marina responded.

"That madman has Miss Alicia?" shrieked Dallas.

As Dallas continued to whimper, Welkin said, "Based on recent intel, reports indicate that Giorgios Geld is no longer working with the Imperial Army. Said reports also indicate that he was to be executed for his crimes, but broke out of captivity and escaped into Gallia. That being said, he could be anywhere."

"Well, isn't that just great?" Vyse said sarcastically. "So how are we supposed to find the bastard?"

"None of our checkpoints to the west or south have reported seeing anything of Geld or his men, or of any Imperial forces. So we have to assume he either went further to the north, or to the east toward the Imperial lines. The squad will split into groups of four and will fan out to try and search for Geld. He can't have gotten far in this weather."

As Welkin presented his search arc to the Sevens on a map of the area, he said, "We'll spread out to cover the widest search possible. If you find Geld or run into any Imperial forces, radio in your position and wait for back-up."

"Wait for back-up? Are you serious?" Noce said angrily. "While that sicko has Alicia and Susie?"

"Are you planning to run at no less than twenty of Geld's men by yourself, Wordsworth?" Marina asked, interrupting Welkin again. This question quickly quieted Noce down.

"Tch, not even I'm that crazy, Noce," said Jane.

"Assemble into groups and be ready to move out in five minutes. Understood?" said Welkin.

"Yes sir!" was the response from the Sevens.

Within five minutes, the squad was moving out from Asperg's cold, empty streets.

* * *

Anything Alicia could see was a dark blur, and any sounds she could hear were muffled and distorted. She groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. Her vision gradually began to focus, and sounds began to come in more clearly. Her body still felt weak, however.

"W-What happened?"

As dim yellow light filled her eyes, Alicia turned her head to view her surroundings. She was in a musty brown tent, which was being soaked by rain. An oil lantern sat on a nearby crate. It was clearly a temporary setup, as the ground beneath her was muddy.

Then, as Alicia tried to stand, she suddenly found her limbs were bound together. Shocked, she looked down to see her body surrounded by tight ropes, which wrapped around her arms, legs and torso. She struggled to free herself for a moment, but there was no weakness in the knots, and she had little strength to move with.

"H-Hey! What's going on? Where am I?" Alicia demanded.

"Alicia? Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"

Alicia quickly turned to the voice. Next to her, Susie knelt on the ground, bound by her wrists and ankles, and disarmed of any weapons or armor. Alicia then realized that she too had been completely disarmed.

"Susie, are you alright?"

"I… I've been better… I'm just glad you're alright…"

"Any idea where we are?"

"I don't know. I only woke up a few minutes ago."

Alicia opened her mouth to ask another question, but stopped as she heard the oncoming spatter of approaching footsteps in the mud. The two girls turned to the noise, and watched the entrance to the tent as a number of shadows approached.

Seconds later, four Imperial soldiers in black armor marched into the tent and took their places flanking the entry. Then, a fifth man entered; Alicia and Susie quickly recognized him.

"Ah, you're both awake," said Giorgios Geld. "Splendid."

"G-Geld!" Alicia hissed. "Where are we! Why are we here!"

"Patience, my little Valkyria. Patience. For now, just be thankful that you and your friend are still breathing."

Alicia was taken aback by Geld's words. He knew she was a Valkyria? Knowing that at least explained why she had been kidnapped. But why Susie? And what did Geld intend to do with the two of them?

"What do you want with us?" asked Susie.

"Oh, it's really just her I want," Geld answered, gesturing to Alicia. "You see, after the little prisoner exchange I was unfortunate enough to be a part of, it seems His Grace started paying attention to my… activities. Needless to say, he was not pleased."

"So what does that have to do with me?" Alicia said, trying to maintain a strong image.

"You, my dear, are going to help me regain His Grace's favor."

It clicked in for Alicia what Geld meant. She was a prize Geld planned to give to Prince Maximilian! And in doing so, Geld would be made a war hero.

"Let us go, now!" Alicia snarled.

"My dear, you may be a Valkyria, but I don't think you are in any position to threaten us."

As Geld began to snicker at her, Alicia steadily became more and more infuriated with him. Yet in her current predicament, she didn't see a way to escape from him while she was weakened. Even if she could escape, she still had to worry about Susie.

Then, as Geld strode toward Susie, he said, "Besides, you wouldn't anything to happen to your friend here, would you?" Kneeling down and wrapping his bony fingers around Susie's chin, Geld added, "She's a truly beautiful prize, isn't she? I only wish more of my prisoners were this fetching."

Susie squeaked nervously as Geld sniffed her blonde hair. Opposite the two, Alicia's face contorted in anger as Geld stroked Susie's hair, clearly taunting her and chuckling all the while. Seeing her best friend being touched by a fiend like Geld was more than Alicia could stand.

Geld immediately stopped laughing as Alicia suddenly began to shimmer with a blue aura. Her hair began to billow without the aid of any wind, and the ropes that bound her body were engulfed in blue flame, quickly crumbling to ashes. As she stood up, Alicia's brown hair suddenly began to turn pale silver, and her eyes changed to a blood red hue.

Outside the tent, Geld's men looked in surprise as one of the large tents in the camp suddenly began to glow a bright blue light. A few, who had seen the light before, trembled nervously at the sight of it.

Staring at her friend's transformation in shock, Susie gasped, "Alicia…"

In an otherworldly tone, Alicia said, "Let her go."

Geld acted quickly as Alicia angrily took a step toward him. He drew a pistol, a magnum revolver with a black paint job, and brought the barrel of it to the back of Susie's head. Susie gasped in terror as her eyes shot wide open and her mouth trembled.

"Let's not be hasty here, Valkyria," said Geld. "You're in a camp numbering more than twenty well-armed men, all loyal to me, you're completely unarmed, and I doubt you're able to move around much while that poison is still coursing through your blood." A second later, to his shock, Alicia took another step. Geld cocked the hammer on his revolver and hissed, "Any closer, and she dies!"

Alicia stared angrily at Geld. She then looked at Susie, who was quivering like a mouse before a cat. The look in her eyes pleaded for her life.

Alicia lowered her head and shut her eyes, forced to comply with Geld's threat. The blue flames surrounding her quickly faded, and her hair and eyes resumed their usual brown color. She stumbled slightly, still affected by the Ragnite gas.

Then, Alicia gasped as a jolt of pain struck her in the back of the head. One of Geld's men had gotten behind her and had bashed her with the butt of his gun. She fell to the ground with barely a sound.

"Alicia!" Susie shrieked.

As his men surrounded Alicia, Geld said, "Keep her here under a watch of no fewer than four men. If she glows at all, you are to subdue her. Do not, however, kill her. I need her alive for His Grace." As Geld walked out into the darkness, he added, "Oh, and bring the blonde one to my tent."

Frightened, Susie feebly struggled against two of Geld's men as they hoisted her up. The two shock troopers then carried her out into the rain, leaving Alicia alone with the other two men.

* * *

Out in the woods nearly three kilometers east of Asperg, Rosie slowly moved through a thick series of ferns and branches littering the forest. Behind her were Cherry, Noce and Yoko. Rain continued to pour down on them, moving in streams down tree branches and leaves. It was hard to see anything; night was approaching, and the rain only made things worse. Visibility was horrible.

At that point, Rosie hadn't seen any sign of Geld's men or any indication that they had been around. She feared her group was heading in the wrong direction, though she had also expected such a thing could happen. They had no idea which way Alicia and Susie had been taken. And despite the weather, Geld had trucks and a good head start on the Sevens. He may have already gotten away.

Then, to her chagrin, Rosie heard Noce shout, "Aliciaaa!"

Growling, Rosie hissed, "Will you shut it, Private? You're gonna give us away hollering like that!"

Noce said nothing in response, but his expression spoke for him. He was clearly disagreeing with Rosie's order.

"Look, I'm worried too, but if I hear you yelling your head off again, I'll–"

"Hey, Rosie!" Cherry interrupted. "Look!"

Rosie turned, praying that Cherry wasn't trying to trick her. To Rosie's shock, she saw a blue glow coming through the forest from the southeast. It was close, too. But then, a few seconds later, the blue light began to fade.

"Come on!" Rosie said as she dashed off in the direction of the blue light.

"Hey, Rosie! Wait for me!" Cherry whined, trying to keep pace with the veteran shock trooper. Noce and Yoko followed in tow.

A couple of minutes later, Rosie came out of the forest, looking out at a clearing. She then immediately ducked back into the bushes, trying to conceal herself.

Behind her, Cherry asked, "Rosie?"

"Get down!" Rosie hissed. Cherry, Noce and Yoko quickly complied with the order. Then, turning to Cherry, Rosie said, "Radio the boss. We've found them."

As Cherry worked her long-range radio to transmit the group's location to the rest of Squad Seven, Noce and Rosie took a look out at the enemy camp in the clearing. Through his binoculars, Noce scanned the camp for any sign of Alicia or Susie.

The camp itself was quite small, only consisting of six small tents and two larger ones. There were no tanks, only three transport trucks, and a single staff car. Small piles of crates littered the camp, though only some contained ammunition. Oil-based and Ragnite-fueled lanterns dimly lit the camp, but only enough so the soldiers could see in the darkness.

Counting the enemy forces as best he could, Noce saw about twenty or so men in the camp total, though he couldn't see clearly inside the tents. Then, his eyes fixed on a man in an officer's uniform speaking with a black-armored shock trooper. The officer had a ghoulish appearance.

"That's him!" said Noce. "It's Geld!"

As Noce said this, Rosie saw a pair of soldiers carrying a girl in a militia uniform from one of the large tents to the second one. But it was so dark, and at such a distance Rosie couldn't tell exactly who it was.

"Noce, gimme those specs! Quick!" Rosie whispered.

Unfortunately, by the time Rosie had gotten Noce's binoculars, the two soldiers had already disappeared inside the large tent with their prisoner. Rosie was left unable to determine who they had taken.

Still, Rosie was sure of one thing: Geld definitely had Alicia and Susie.

* * *

Susie tried to break free of the two shock troopers that carried her through the pouring rain, but she was too weak to put up a real fight. And even if she weren't under the effects of the Ragnite gas, the two men holding her were far stronger than she was.

Within a minute, Susie's escort had reached a new tent, one of the larger ones. The first of the two shock troopers said, "Heeere we are, cutie." Tossing her to the ground, the trooper added, "Nice and cozy!"

Susie whimpered while trying to stand. The second shock trooper then said, "No guess why the captain was interested in this one. Still, that last place had couple of pretty girls like this one, so why didn't he take them?"

"Ah, the captain's always had a thing for blondes, I guess. Still, I'd have been impressed if he'd thrown this one away."

"By the way, how many did you get back there?"

"Including the peasants? Four."

"Too bad, man. I got six."

"Six? Don't you mean seven?"

"I'm only counting those twins as one."

Susie gasped in shock at hearing this. The only twins that had lived in Asperg were Nora and Tora, her young cousins. This man, one of her captors, had murdered her Uncle Albert and Aunt Doris.

"You… you killed them…?" Susie sobbed.

"Eh? What's that, cutie?"

"You killed them! My Uncle Albert and Auntie Doris, and Nora and Tora! What did they ever do to you!"

Following a short pause, the shock troopers laughed. Then, the first one said, "You wanna know why, sweetcheeks?" The soldier then kicked Susie to the ground, pinning her in the mud under his boot. He then added, "Because that's what I'm being paid to do."

Struggling to keep her head up, Susie said, "You did it… for money?"

"When we get back to the homeland, we'll have enough to live like kings!" said the second trooper. "Besides, that innkeeper had some pretty nice silver in his drawers."

"You… you monsters… how could you…"

Unable to finish her sentence, Susie whimpered loudly in sorrow.

As he turned to his companion, the second trooper said, "Come on. Let's get her the way the captain likes 'em."

Susie continued to sob as the two shock troopers hoisted her up, removed her restraints, and then brought her up to a tall metal post in the rear of the large tent. Two chains ending in iron cuffs were attached to the top of the pole, meant to restrain a prisoner. Susie did not resist as her arms were cuffed to the chains.

She continued to weep as the two shock troopers left the tent.

* * *

Rosie, using Noce's binoculars, swept her eyes across the Imperial camp. Most of them were in their tents trying to stay out of the rain, though at least four were on patrol around the base, all scouts. At the north end of the base, the three trucks were being loaded with supplies. They were already packing up their camp; they intended to leave while it was dark.

Though Rosie had seen one of Geld's prisoners, she had been unable to determine whether it was Alicia or Susie. She couldn't assume which of the two it was. Assuming too much in such a situation was dangerous, as experience had taught her. She couldn't afford to rush things.

Then, Rosie heard a set of bushes rustling behind her and the others. Snapping a hand to her Mags MXXII, she whipped around to face the source of the sound. Noce and Cherry raised their rifles to the source as well.

"Flash!" Rosie hissed.

"…Thunder…"

Hearing the correct response, and a voice she recognized, Rosie lowered her weapon, as did Cherry and Noce. Out of the darkness, Marina crept out of the woods, followed by Catherine, Edy and Homer. All four were, like Rosie's group, soaking wet. Edy had removed her hair bands, letting her silver hair plaster her face.

Snickering, Rosie said, "Nice look, Nelson."

"Oh, shut up!" Edy hissed loudly as she pushed her drenched silver locks of hair out of her eyes.

"Miss Edy, please be quiet," whispered Homer. "They'll hear us– MMPH!"

Edy stepped on Homer's foot and simultaneously covered his mouth, preventing him from yelping in pain.

Ignoring the two, Marina crept up to Rosie and said, "…What are we looking at?"

Turning back to the camp as Marina looked down at it, Rosie said, "Alicia and Susie are definitely there. So is Geld. He's got at least twenty-something guys with him. No tanks, though. He's working small time. Looks like they're getting ready to leave soon, though."

Looking through her father's sniper scope, which Catherine had recovered from Naggiar, Marina peered through the camp. After a few seconds, she fixed her gaze on Geld, who was finishing a conversation with his second-in-command.

"You see him?" asked Rosie.

"…Yeah… too soon to take a shot, though…"

"Huh?" Edy asked quietly. "Why don't you just shoot him already?"

"…A number of reasons. First, we'd end up exposing ourselves. Second, Geld's men probably have orders to kill Alicia and Susie if he dies. Third, we're outnumbered about three-to-one."

"G-Good reasons…"

"We're to wait here until the boss and the others arrive," said Rosie. "No sense going in there with just us."

Just then, Homer's long-range radio began to crackle. Adjusting its signal, Homer slowly began to make the sound coherent. The others in the meantime adjusted their earpieces, trying to latch onto Homer's signal so they could listen to the transmission.

Soon, Welkin's voice came clearly through the radio. "Seven-Actual to Seven-Four. Rosie, come in."

Taking the phone attached to Homer's long-range radio, Rosie said, "We're here, boss. Seven-Four and Seven-Six are outside the enemy base, waiting on you guys. Enemy's already readying themselves to leave."

"That's not good. Seven-Actual has encountered a sizable Imperial force two kilometers north of your position. All other groups have been diverted to assist in turning them away."

Hearing Welkin's message, Marina took the phone from Rosie's hand and said, "What are your orders, lieutenant?"

"It's going to take too long for us to drive off the Imperial group." After a short sigh, Welkin said, "This is against my better judgment, but I need your two teams to try and get Alicia and Susie out of there yourselves before Geld escapes."

The others were left deeply concerned by these orders. Eight of them were meant to take on more than twenty of Geld's men, while the man himself had two hostages, and in such a short time? It was a daunting task, to say the least.

"Sir, with all due respect," said Catherine, "I doubt we can do this in such small numbers."

"I understand that, Catherine," said Welkin. "But the longer we take in rescuing them, the more we risk losing them. We'll move to reinforce you as soon as possible, but we can't afford to wait for much longer."

Before anyone else could protest, Marina said, "Understood, sir."

"Thank you, everyone. I'm sending Seven-Three to meet up with you, but they'll at best take around twenty minutes or so. In the meantime, Rosie, you're in charge. Seven-Actual, out."

As the signal died out, all eyes were on Rosie. Though she tried not to show it, she was clearly nervous. She had never led such a large command before, only a couple of others at a time. And in such a situation, the stakes were high and the odds were significantly against her team.

"So… Rosie?" said Cherry. "What's the plan?"

"Uh, well, umm…" Rosie continued to stutter. She clearly didn't know what to do.

Then, interrupting her, Marina said, "There's still some time left before they're ready to leave. That should be all the time we need."

"Umm, didn't Lieutenant Gunther say Rosie was in charge?" asked Homer.

"Quiet, Homer!" Edy hissed, placing the engineer in a choke hold. "At least Marina has a plan!"

"Go on, hun," said Yoko. "Let's hear it."

Looking back out at the enemy camp, Marina said, "The enemy doesn't know we're around, or how many of us there are. We need to use that to our advantage."

The others listened intently as Marina outlined their plan of attack.

* * *

Minutes later, on the south side of the camp, Rosie led Edy, Cherry and Noce slowly through the damp shrubs. Rosie had decidedly given Marina command for the attack, as she had a better understanding of tactics than she did.

The plan was to sparsely surround the camp, making the enemy think they were heavily surrounded. While Rosie's group distracted the enemy, taking out as many of Geld's men as possible, Homer and Yoko would take out the trucks. This would strand Geld and his men in the camp.

It was a good plan in theory, but there was still the worry of Alicia and Susie being used as hostages. That was for Marina and Catherine to handle. They had to ensure the two were kept safe and, if an opportunity presented itself, either sniper was to take out Geld as quickly as possible.

The key to the plan was deception. The small group would need to use the cover of night and to keep firing on the base from all sides in order to trick the enemy into thinking they were a larger force than they were. If it worked, Marina hoped the enemy would panic. In that event, it would fall to the scouts and shock troopers to slip into the base and rescue the hostages.

From her perch on the west end, Marina watched Geld through the scope of her rifle. She could have easily killed him fifteen times by now, even with it being so dark, but doing so too early would have put Alicia and Susie at risk.

Tapping a finger to her earpiece, Marina said, "Report positions."

"Almost ready on our end," said Rosie.

"Just say the word, Marina," Yoko answered.

Removing the safety from her GSR, Marina looked back down at the camp. Geld was entering one of the two large tents. But a few seconds after he entered, the tent went dark. Geld had turned off his lantern, making it impossible to see him. Marina was forced to hold her fire; there was too much risk in hitting a hostage.

"…Wait for my signal…"

* * *

Susie shivered as she stood inside Geld's personal tent, her arms chained to the tall metal post. Her clothes were soaking wet from the rain, and her normally curled hair was now plastered in a mess on her shoulders. Her clothes were also covered in mud.

Susie's eyes were still soaked with her tears. The day so far had been one of the worst of her life. She had lost her Uncle Albert, her Aunt Doris, her cousins Tora and Nora, and now she and her best friend were captives to a sadistic Imperial war criminal. Worse, Alicia was going to be sent to Prince Maximilian, where she would surely die a horrible death. As for herself, Susie didn't know what Geld had in store for her.

She felt things couldn't get any worse.

Just as she thought that, Geld entered the tent, flanked by two of his soldiers. Susie's eyes widened with terror as Geld made a lecherous grin.

Turning to his two bodyguards, Geld said, "I'm not to be disturbed for the next half-hour. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," said one of the soldiers. The two guards then left the tent, shutting the blinds as they went. Geld then walked over to a nearby desk and shut off a Ragnite lantern standing on it. The tent was engulfed by darkness.

Turning to Susie as he took a deep breath, Geld said, "Finally, some time alone." Geld strode toward a frightened Susie and loosened his collar as he said, "Or rather, some time for the two of us, my dear."

"P– Please, let us go," Susie said meekly. "What have we ever done to you?"

"Oh, nothing really. But I'm going to become quite the famous man in the Empire when I turn your friend over to His Grace. I admit, I would've liked to have tormented her first, but I am generous enough to let His Grace have that honor."

Geld strode up in front of Susie, who watched in terror as he moved his eyes across her body.

"You, on the other hand, will be my personal prize."

Geld then touched a hand to Susie's back, making her gasp in shock and her cheeks turn pink as he rubbed her.

"My, my, you are even prettier when flustered," said Geld. "I wonder just how pretty I can make you."

As Geld rubbed Susie's waist, she stammered, "S– Stop it!"

Geld quickly wrapped his bony fingers around Susie's chin and turned her face toward him as he said, "Stop? Oh, my dear, it will be quite a while before that happens."

Now realizing what the man intended to do with her, Susie screamed loudly as Geld brought a hand down to rub her legs. She tried to struggle, but with her wrists bound and her body still weak from the Ragnite gas, it was a futile effort; all she could really do was scream.

"Stop it! Let me go!" Susie screamed. "Help! Somebody, please! HELP!"

"Oh, your screams are so delightful, my dear!" Geld cackled joyfully. "I haven't had someone as splendid as you in quite some time."

As Geld continued to laugh maniacally, Susie shrieked as the Imperial tore open her jacket, revealing a black turtleneck underneath. Susie continued to scream as Geld began groping her.

"NO! STOP IT! AAAHHH!" Susie shrieked.

A second later, Geld brought his face right up to Susie's, causing her to drop silent. "You have no idea what a pleasure this is, my dear," Geld said with glee.

To Susie's complete shock, Geld wrapped his lips around hers. Susie tried to scream, but any sounds she could make were muffled by Geld's mouth as he kissed her. She did the only thing she could.

Geld yelped as he reared back and released his grip on Susie. He touched a hand to his mouth, which was now bleeding. Susie had bitten his lip as hard as she could, but now she watched in horror as Geld eerily licked the blood off.

"Mmhmm, you're quite the feisty one," Geld hissed. Then, without warning, he delivered a stinging slap to Susie's face, making her shriek in pain. Geld then snarled, "But you're in need of a lesson in obedience."

Susie looked in horror as Geld reached for her skirt. As he took hold of it, Susie shut her eyes tightly and screamed at the top of her lungs.

* * *

From the brush to the south, Noce watched the camp as he heard an earsplitting scream. The scream was followed by many more. The others clearly heard them too, but stayed put.

Noce's face contorted with rage. Flicking on his earpiece, Noce hissed, "That has to be Alicia! Geld's torturing her! We have to get in there, now!"

Marina's voice said in response, "Hold your position, Wordsworth. We go in on my signal, no sooner."

Noce was infuriated. How could Marina just let Geld continue to have his way with Alicia? And what about Susie? There wasn't time to wait; they had to act now!

Then, the screams suddenly subsided. A second later, without warning, Noce snarled in anger as he sprung from his hiding place and charged at the camp.

"Alicia, hang on darling!"

Rosie watched in bewilderment as Noce charged out of the forest, completely disobeying orders. "Noce, get back here, now!" she hissed, but to no avail.

Noce reached for his belt and drew a grenade as he sprinted. He had set his sights on a pair of scouts at the camp perimeter; they were too busy chatting with each other to notice him.

As Marina watched Noce's suicidal charge, her earpiece came alive as Edy said, "What's he doing? He's gonna get himself killed!"

"We have to help him!" said Cherry, who readied herself to charge in after Noce.

But before Cherry could move, Marina said, "Everyone is to hold their ground. Do nothing to reveal your position."

Stunned, Catherine whispered, "Marina, what are you thinking? They'll kill him!"

Marina said nothing in response.

As Noce neared the scouts, he heard another loud scream of terror coming from the camp. Ripping the cord on his grenade, Noce shouted, "Alicia!" as he tossed it at the two scouts.

Having heard Noce, the two scouts turned in time to see the grenade fly past them and clatter to the ground. Both scouts scrambled to get away as the grenade detonated. One scout took several shrapnel pieces to the back and perished, while the other was blown off his feet by the blast. Noce quickly rushed up to the second scout and plunged the blade of his bayonet into the scout's heart.

From the woods, Marina watched as the camp came alive. Nearly every soldier in the camp shouted as they scrambled to retrieve their weapons. Two shock troopers opened fire on Noce, who dove behind a large stack of crates and took cover. As Noce took potshots at the Imperials, the rest of Geld's men began to swarm around his position, taking cover behind a wall of sandbags. One took a glancing blow to his shoulder plate, but shrugged it off. Soon, at least eight soldiers were raining bullets down on him, with more on their way.

From her position, Cherry then watched as two shock troopers came out of hiding from behind a tent, flanking to Noce's left. She yelped, "Noce, look out!"

But it was too late. Noce barely had time to turn to the shock troopers as they fired. Bullets tore through Noce's arms, legs and abdomen, dropping him after seven hits.

The Sevens watched in horror as Noce was surrounded by the Imperials.

* * *

Geld's eagerness to deflower Susie was suddenly interrupted upon hearing a loud blast coming from outside, followed by the clamor of his men and several bursts of sub-machineguns and rifle shots.

Susie quivered as she listened to the sounds of battle. Had the others come to save her and Alicia? She hoped so; she was otherwise moments away from being violated by the sadistic Imperial captain.

Geld shouted, "Lieutenant, what's going on out there?"

There was a short pause. The gunshots fell silent, though the clamor of Geld's men remained for a few seconds. Then Geld heard his lieutenant answer, "Threat's been neutralized, sir."

"What was it?"

"Just some random punk who thought he'd try and be a hero. Don't worry, sir; he'll be dead in a few seconds." After a short pause, the lieutenant then shouted, "Looks like this one's a Seven, though. He's got their patch."

Now concerned, Geld hissed, "Sweep the area; there's bound to be more of them around!"

* * *

Marina watched as one of the shock troopers – a lieutenant – conversed with Geld, who was still hidden in the tent. Next to her, Catherine was left wondering why the group was doing nothing to save Noce.

"Marina, we have to help him!" Catherine whispered.

Marina said nothing, but raised her rifle and peered through her scope. She centered her sights on the enemy lieutenant's helmet. Then, she looked down at Noce.

Her exposed eye narrowed as she saw an Imperial grenade in his hand, the pin pulled. She knew what was coming.

"…Everyone, get ready to move in. There's nothing we can do for him…"

Catherine didn't understand what Marina meant, and so peered through her scope down at Noce. A second later, she realized in mute horror what he intended.

"Oh my God…"

* * *

Despite his body being in blinding pain, Noce groaned as he looked up at the dark clouds and pouring rain. His body felt heavy. His legs and left arm were motionless, and blood was filling in his mouth. He knew he was going to die.

Clasping an Imperial grenade in his right hand, Noce groaned, "Alicia darling, I… hoped I'd… see you…"

His hand released its grip on the grenade. The safety handle broke off from the grenade as it rolled into the mud.

"…one last time…"

* * *

The sound of the rain was drowned out by the clamor of the Imperials. Then, a second later, their voices gave way to the sound of an explosion.

From inside the first large tent, Alicia suddenly snapped awake upon hearing the blast. She was met with a horrible feeling in her chest, and immediately knew something was wrong.

Something terrible had happened…

* * *

Stunned, the Sevens watched as Noce was engulfed by an explosion, one that claimed two more of the Imperials and wounded another pair, digging shrapnel into their limbs and torsos.

While Catherine could only look in awe, Marina centered her sights on Geld's lieutenant. Her crosshairs met on his head.

"…Open fire…"

A loud gunshot ran out from the woods. Geld's lieutenant made a short 'urk', and then toppled over on his side with a hole in his helmet. The other Imperials watched as the officer died, and then began to panic.

Then, as she reloaded, Marina realized that the others weren't attacking. Snapping a finger to her earpiece, she said harshly, yet calmly, "I said open fire! Wordsworth is gone – don't let his death go to waste!"

Rosie was the first to act, taking aim at an Imperial scout with her Mags MXXII. She then said, "Let's move, guys!" She then pulled the trigger.

The forest came alive with gunfire. The Imperials shouted in alarm as three more were gunned down in the first four seconds of the attack. The remaining Imperials scrambled to get to any cover they could find and to try and locate the source of the attack. Barrel flashes were coming from all around them. The Imperials fired back into the woods, but all they hit were bushes, branches and tree trunks. A fourth Imperial died as a sniper round pierced through his helmet and skull.

Then, from a cluster of bushes on the south end, a grenade flew out and landed in the mud next to a pile of ammo crates. As the grenade detonated, a chain reaction was set off. Ammunition ignited in a frenzied blast. An unfortunate Imperial who was too close to the blast died as shrapnel flew out and tore through his chest and stomach.

Rosie broke out of the bushes and dashed into the camp, roaring loudly as she sprayed rounds at the remaining Imperials. As they turned at her, one Imperial took a series of rounds from Rosie's submachine gun.

As tracers swept toward her, Rosie dove to her left, still shooting as she plummeted to the ground. She rolled behind a table that stood before one of the tents and pulled it over, providing her with a small amount of cover. But as more bullets impacted on the wood, she knew the cover wouldn't last long.

Behind their sandbags, two shock troopers continued to fire at Rosie, but in doing so they took their attention off Edy and Cherry, who came in from the east side of the camp. The two girls quickly took advantage of this; Edy fired a burst into the first shock trooper's torso, killing him, while Cherry sent two rounds into the second trooper's left shoulder and neck.

Then, with a loud whooshing sound, a lancer round streaked out of the trees and struck one of the three transport trucks at the north end of the camp. The truck was engulfed in a shower of fire and shrapnel, its tarp quickly set aflame. Then, as its fuel tank ignited, the truck buckled as it was rocked by a second explosion, one that tipped it onto its side.

* * *

Inside his tent, Geld's head jetted around as the sound of gunfire engulfed the camp, accompanied by the panicked cries of his men. A second whooshing sound was followed by an explosion, signaling the destruction of another transport truck.

Geld too began to panic; as sadistic as he was, he was also afraid to die himself. And now he was in the worst possible situation; caught completely off guard and surrounded by enemies. He had to escape!

Drawing his revolver, Geld tore open the entry flap to his tent, meeting with his two bodyguards. "Get me to the Valkyria, now!" Geld screeched.

As Geld darted out of the tent, escorted closely by his men, Susie was left inside the tent, still bound and soaked, her jacket torn open. She sighed deeply in relief; the others had come.

* * *

Marina saw him, escorted by two black-armored scouts. It was Geld. He was heading for a large tent that was guarded by four more shock troopers.

Wasting no time, Marina raised her GSR-XX and attempted to place her sights on Geld's head. But to her irritation, Geld's men were running right up next to him, acting as a human shield. It was incredibly difficult to get an accurate shot on him.

Still, Marina kept her crosshairs on Geld. As the man's escort moved a short distance away from him, Marina fired.

To her surprise, one of the scouts moved in front of Geld as Marina fired. The bullet struck the scout in the head, dropping him face-first into the mud. Geld, though shocked, continued to run and entered the tent before Marina could reload.

"…Dammit…"

* * *

Edy watched as Geld ducked into the western large tent, guarded by five more of his men. But in doing so, Geld had left the eastern tent unguarded.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Edy quickly dashed toward the east tent and swung into it. She was met with a familiar face, yet a crushing sight.

"Susie! Are you alright?"

As Edy rushed over to free her, Susie sobbed as she said, "Edy? Is that you?"

Drawing her pistol, Edy said, "What happened? What did that creep do to you?"

Edy was forced to shoot the chains attached to Susie's wrists, breaking them. As she was freed, Susie fell to her knees weakly, still crying. Edy watched as Susie wrapped her arms around herself, around her torn clothes, and then realized to her shock what Geld had tried to do.

"H-He touched me, Edy… h-he t-tried t-to–"

Susie began to bawl loudly as Edy knelt down and placed Susie's head on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Susie. I'll keep that creep away from you, I promise!"

"Th-Thank you, E-Edy…"

At that moment, Homer and Yoko quickly entered the tent. Homer quickly turned his eyes away while Yoko set down her Lancaar and knelt down next to Edy and Susie, trying to comfort the sobbing blonde.

"There, there, Susie," said Yoko. "We gotcha now."

Looking outside, Homer suddenly saw something that made him raise his rifle. "Miss Edy, we have a problem."

* * *

Geld panted as he stopped inside the tent, standing before Alicia. As she watched the sadistic man catch his breath, Alicia said smugly, "What now, captain? My friends aren't going to let you go so easily this time."

A few seconds later, Geld stopped panting from exhaustion, having caught his breath. Then, he angrily lashed out and struck Alicia with the butt of his gun. Alicia toppled to the ground on her side as a bruise formed on her cheek.

As she turned to look back at him, Geld grabbed Alicia by the collar and brought her face to his. He then hissed, "You think they have won, wench! As long as you are my hostage, they cannot touch me!"

Alicia tried to struggle as Geld wrapped an arm around her neck and hoisted her up, but she was still weak from the effects of the Ragnite gas. Then, she felt the ropes that bound her legs loosen. The ropes around her torso still held her strongly.

Raising Alicia's head to his level, Geld began dragging Alicia out of the tent, his five remaining bodyguards going ahead of him. Geld watched as one of his bodyguards fired at an unseen enemy, and then was hit by three rifle bullets to his chest, killing him. A second of his body guards took a burst of sub-machinegun fire to his legs.

Undaunted, Geld continued to force Alicia forward, his revolver at her temple.

* * *

As he fired a burst at Cherry, one of Geld's few remaining men took a salvo from Rosie, sending him crumpling to the ground.

As Rosie jumped out from her cover, Cherry said, "Rosie! You're like, the man!"

"Heard it before," said Rosie.

Just as she finished her sentence, a burst of sub-machinegun fire whizzed by her. Rosie instinctively dove to the ground and fired back, hitting a shock trooper in his legs and incapacitating him. Three rifle bullets from Cherry took out a second soldier, while a sniper bullet from Catherine went into the chest of a third, killing him.

Then, to Rosie's surprise, she heard a loud voice shout, "Drop your weapons, Gallian dogs! Do it or she dies!"

Whipping around, Rosie's eyes widened as she saw Geld, his revolver pointing at Alicia's head. He still had two of his men left.

From her position, Marina took careful aim at Geld. His two remaining men were huddling quite closely to him, keeping her from getting a clear shot. In addition, Geld held his head close to Alicia's. It was too risky to take a shot; Marina could either miss, hit one of Geld's men, or in the worst case hit Alicia.

As Cherry raised her rifle at Geld, Rosie did the same with her Mags and shouted, "Let her go, Geld! You've got nowhere to run!"

"On the contrary, peasant! Either I leave this place, or Gallia loses her Valkyria!"

As she watched the standoff, Marina tapped her earpiece and said, "Catherine, do you have a shot?"

"Don't worry, Marina. I've got him," said Catherine.

Catherine's crosshairs were centered on Geld's head, a perfect shot clear of any other targets. She pulled the trigger. There was a short click, but no gunshot.

"What the?"

Shocked, Catherine tried to slide open the loading chamber of her rifle, but it refused to budge. Her round had misfired, and was now stuck inside the firing chamber of the rifle.

As she feverishly tried to fix the rifle, Catherine said, "Dammit, my rifle's jammed! Marina, you'll have to take the shot!"

"…Understood…"

From her place in Geld's grip, Alicia looked at Rosie. Cherry was behind her, and both had their weapons trained on Geld. But then, her eyes caught something behind the two Sevens. It was the body of a nineteen-year-old Gallian soldier wearing a blue head wrap. It was Noce.

The sight was heartbreaking to Alicia. Even before Squad Seven had been formed and before she had met Welkin, Noce had been one of her closest friends. And now he lay on the ground, motionless and covered in his own blood.

"Noce…"

"Shut up!" Geld shouted, pressing the barrel of his revolver to Alicia's cheek.

Marina watched as Geld tried to back away from Rosie and Cherry, flanked by his two subordinates.

Then, from the eastern tent, Edy and Homer came out and took aim at Geld's men. Edy then shouted, "Let Alicia go, you monster!" Readying her Mags MXX, Edy scowled as she said, "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to Susie!"

Then, Edy began to storm forward at Geld, prompting one of his bodyguards to take aim at her. Before he could, she fired a burst into his torso, downing him in an instant.

"Hold your fire, Nelson!" shouted Rosie.

"You little tramp!" Geld shouted.

The Imperial captain swung his revolver at Edy.

"Miss Edy!" Homer shouted.

A loud bang followed. Edy gasped breathlessly, looking down at her chest. A red blotch began to spread from a spot above her left breast. Then, as she began to turn a sickly white, Edy fell to the ground.

Still in Geld's grip, Alicia watched as Edy collapsed. She couldn't believe it. First Noce, and now Edy.

And there she was, powerless to help them.

For a brief moment, nothing moved but the trees and the rain.

Alicia screamed loudly as tears filled her eyes. Within an instant, blue flames surrounded her body, terrifying Geld. An unseen force blew the captain back, emanating from Alicia as her hair turned silver and her eyes red. The Sevens, blinded by the blue light surrounding Alicia, shielded their eyes. Geld's last remaining subordinate screamed as blue flames engulfed his body and incinerated him in seconds.

Behind Alicia, Geld scrambled to his feet and looked back at his former captive. She had turned toward him, a look of utter fury written across her face. Blue flames licked out from her body, setting the bodies of Geld's men ablaze and reducing them to ashes. She strode toward Geld.

Panicking, Geld raised his revolver and shouted, "Stay back! Stay back!"

Geld fired a round, but his aim was off. The bullet passed by Alicia's shoulder.

"Get away from me!"

Geld fired another round. This one grazed Alicia's cheek, leaving a long cut. Geld watched as blood slowly trickled from the wound.

Then, realizing he had harmed Alicia, Geld's face twisted in madness as he pointed his gun at her head.

"DIE, VALKYRIA!"

A third shot rang out. But it wasn't from Geld's gun.

Geld gasped in shock, a hole now in his forehead. He gagged for a moment as blood trickled down his face, and then toppled backward, dying as he hit the ground.

From her position, Marina's GSR wisped smoke from its barrel. She slid back the loading chamber of her rifle, releasing the spent cartridge of her round.

In the camp, Alicia looked down at Geld's body as the blue flames surrounding her body began to consume it. Alicia watched Geld as he was reduced to a skeleton, and then to ashes, leaving only a sniper bullet where his skull had been, and a burnt black revolver lying in the mud.

Then, turning to Edy, Alicia watched as Homer attempted to treat Edy's wound. To Alicia's relief, Edy was alive, albeit barely. As a smile came to Alicia's face, the flames surrounding her body began to fade, and her hair and eyes turned back to their usual brown.

As Alicia knelt down next to her and Homer, Edy wheezed, "Whoever said the good die young… lied."

Alicia looked down at Edy's wound. To her relief, it didn't look fatal. Edy was still breathing heavily, suggesting the bullet had missed her lungs. She would make it.

It was then that Alicia remembered Noce. Getting to her feet, Alicia walked toward the blood-soaked body that lay in the mud. Rosie and Cherry watched as Alicia passed by them without a word.

As Alicia knelt down next to Noce's still form, Susie came out of the eastern tent accompanied by Yoko, wrapped in a blanket. Seeing the body of the dead Bruhler, Susie buried her head on Yoko's shoulder and began to weep again. Yoko, knowing how much Noce had meant to Susie, gently stroked her head.

Looking down, Alicia's eyes filled with tears at the sight of Noce's bloodstained remains. She began to sob loudly. Then, after a few seconds, she shut her eyes.

As she stood at the edge of the camp, Marina watched as Alicia screamed in anguish. The echo of the Valkyria's cries drowned out the sound of the unceasing rain and resonated through the night.

A moment passed. As Rosie walked up to comfort Alicia, Marina and Catherine walked into the camp. Catherine watched as Rosie knelt down and placed a hand on Alicia's shoulder, trying to reassure her. Marina, on the other hand, walked over to Cherry, who stood watching as Rosie comforted Alicia.

"…Stijnen, radio…"

Cherry removed the small phone attached to her radio pack and gave it to Marina. As Cherry made a small adjustment to the radio's frequency, Marina held the phone to her ear.

"Seven-Actual, this is Seven-Six."

There was a short pause. Then, through the radio, Welkin said, "This is Seven-Actual. Marina, report your status."

"Operations complete, sir."

* * *

The next morning came after what seemed like an eternity for Squad Seven. Noce's death was a shock to the squad, though after learning the impact of his sacrifice in saving Alicia and Susie, the reality of the event became somewhat easier to take. Still, many in the squad were hit hard by the loss.

Word of Edy's incapacitation didn't help things. Though Fina managed to stabilize her, she was unable to fully treat the wound, and was forced to have Edy sent back to a hospital in Randgriz so she could make a full recovery. Fina was shocked, however, when Homer proclaimed that he would accompany Edy back to Randgriz, and would stay by her side until she fully healed. It was a touching gesture, one that allegedly made Edy's face turn red.

Back in the barracks, things weren't much better. Following her traumatic experiences from the previous day, Susie had fallen into a deep depression. Seeing her in such a state seemed to spread a sullen mood through the squad. Welkin had even offered Susie a chance to return home, but she had refused the offer, feeling she couldn't leave Squad Seven and live with herself while the war was still going on. In the meantime, Ted and Melville had taken it upon themselves to try and break Susie out of her depression.

As she sat on the roof of a small home, Marina looked about at the various members of Squad Seven. She couldn't help but feel she was partly responsible for the squad's current state. Things had been bad before, but now they were nearly as bad as when Isara had died.

Maybe if she had done things more efficiently, or if she had kept Noce in line, things wouldn't have turned out so badly, Marina thought. Or if Rosie had led the strike instead of her, perhaps things would have been smoother.

Just then, Marina's thoughts were interrupted by a series of footsteps nearby.

"…Come to patronize me again?"

Turning, Marina saw to her surprise that it wasn't Catherine who had come to see her. It was Alicia.

"Uh, pardon?" Alicia asked, confused.

"…Thought you were Catherine."

"She's down with Oscar and Emile. They're trying to get something for Susie."

"…What do you want with me?"

Seeing that Marina wanted to get to the point, Alicia said, "I… wanted to thank you for yesterday. I'd be dead right now if it weren't you and the others."

"I was just doing my job."

"I know. You were all doing your part to save me and Susie. Even… Noce…"

Alicia sniffled on mentioning Noce. She was still having trouble accepting his death, it seemed.

As Marina watched Alicia cry, she said coldly, "He was an idiot."

"What?" Alicia was shocked to hear Marina's comment.

"Wordsworth blew it because he didn't listen to orders. He let his obsession with you get to his head when he should have focused on the mission."

"You– You take that back!"

"I'm just stating the facts, Melchiott. He died because he was a fool."

"Shut up! You take that back, Marina!"

As Alicia shouted, she did not realize that her body was beginning to glow a blue aura. The tiles on the roof began to crack as Alicia's brown hair billowed vibrantly. She then lashed an arm out at Marina, grabbing the sniper by her collar.

"How dare you say those things about him! He was my friend!"

Unbeknownst to Alicia, Marina had expected this. In fact, she had wanted Alicia to get angry. She had a point to make.

"…Are you gonna let me finish, or are you gonna just incinerate me?"

Alicia made a short gasp as she saw her hand was starting to glow with blue flames. She immediately released Marina and looked down at herself, shocked and scared. The blue aura surrounding her vanished as she fell to her knees on the roof.

"…You made one hell of a light show last night. I'm just showing you what that's like to the rest of us."

Alicia realized after a moment what Marina meant. Her power must have been terrifying to the others. Even Marina was sweating a bit, clearly apprehensive of Alicia.

"Ma-Marina, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to–"

"…I don't claim to know what it's like wielding such power, but let me give you a fair warning: if you plan to keep using that power, you can't keep being so attached to others. Attachment is a weakness to us as soldiers; that's what my father taught me."

It clicked in what Marina was saying to Alicia, despite how harsh her words were. Somehow, her powers were being triggered by strong emotion, even without Ragnite. Sorrow, anger… perhaps even love. The thought of it frightened her. Could she not afford to get too close to anyone because of her power?

"…And for what it's worth, Noce went out fighting, without hesitation, without regrets. I respect him for that."

Alicia looked at Marina incredulously; she had never heard the sniper being so considerate. She couldn't help but shed a tear, though she wiped it off her face.

For the next few minutes, Alicia and Marina sat on the rooftop and watched the other militia soldiers go about their business.

Then, Alicia asked, "Hey, Marina? Can you do something for me? It's important."

"…What is it?" Marina sensed something strange with Alicia's tone.

"If… If I ever lose control of my power… and if I ever turn against Gallia or the squad… I want you to kill me."

Marina looked at Alicia, stunned. The request was very deep, and more serious than Marina had expected. She didn't know what to say.

"Marina, ever since I awakened to my power, all I've caused is pain and suffering, to both the Empire and to Gallia. People get hurt just by being near me. Noce… Edy… Susie… all those poor souls in Asperg…"

"…"

"Please, if I become a threat, promise you'll take care of me."

Marina couldn't answer easily. Alicia was someone she held a great deal of respect for, but she also knew the severity of what she was asking. And yet, despite how hard the request was, it was essential as well. Alicia was turning to her because she was the only one she could count on to do the deed. Anyone else would have refused either out of compassion, fear, or apathy to her plight.

"…Alright … I'll do it…"

"Thank you, Marina."

**End of Chapter 6**

I hope you liked this one. It's one of my favorites thus far. People have called me evil for it. I know, I'm evil for almost letting Susie get raped. But what do you THINK happens to female prisoners in wartime?

As always, please leave reviews.


	7. Chapter 7

GAH... I'm sorry, people, for taking so long.

Three main things delayed this chapter: (1) Metroid Prime Trilogy (so damn good), (2) Halo 3: ODST (also awesome), and (3) UNIVERSITY. But I'm guessing quite a lot of the authors are having the same reason for their delays.

But I digress. Without further adieu, here's Chapter 7.

**Chapter 7: Battle on Two Fronts**

A stream of soldiers was returning to the Gallian Army's forward base from various patrols. Quite a few were wounded, some on stretchers with lost limbs. The Imperial Army, its back to the wall, was putting up a fight.

The base itself had been made before the war started, designed as a waypoint between Naggiar and Ghirlandaio. The Gallian Army had recently ousted the Imperials from the place, and was now using it as a staging area to attack Ghirlandaio. Many tents littered the perimeter; the base wasn't large enough to fully accommodate the forces currently stationed there.

From her position at the top of a perimeter watchtower, Marina watched the men and women of the militia as they returned from their patrols. Seeing so many wounded brought a scowl to her face. A lot of the injuries and losses were unnecessary; it was all due to General Damon's eagerness to see the war end quickly, as well as his complete disregard for the lives of Gallia's people.

Still, as much as he was hated, Damon was still the highest ranked officer around. The chain of command was his only shield from a string of retribution for lives lost, though so far it had made a very effective shield. At times, Marina thought things would have been much better if one of the Imperials had killed the general ages ago. It probably would have done everyone a big favor. With the way things were, however, the likelihood of that happening was slim-to-none.

As she scanned the horizon, the faint sound of creaking wood caught Marina's attention. Someone was coming up the ladder. Turning, Marina saw that it was Welkin who had come to see her. She hadn't expected to see him of all people.

"…Something I can do for you, Lieutenant?"

"Catherine said you'd be here," said Welkin. "She knows you pretty well."

"…Get to the point, sir. What is it?"

"She also told me you'd probably respond like this. But alright; General Damon told me at the staff meeting that he wants to see you in his office at 1500 hours."

"…Great… what does he want now?"

"I'm not sure, and actually, that's something that's bothering me. Do you have any idea why he's asked for you specifically?"

"Haven't a clue…" After a short pause, Marina said, "Might as well see what he wants…"

As Marina turned to leave, Welkin said, "Hold on, Marina. There's one more thing I need to discuss with you, in private."

Turning back to Welkin, Marina asked, "What's this about?"

After a short pause, Welkin turned his head and looked down at a section of the camp. Following his gaze, Marina saw that he was looking at Alicia, who was busy trying to help Dallas and Jann with some laundry.

Then, Welkin said, "It's about something you promised to Alicia back in Plinth. I overheard the two of you talking."

Marina wasn't surprised to hear Welkin say this. Rather, it was probably better that Welkin knew about what Marina had agreed to do. It was, after all, a very serious task Alicia had given her.

"I… I just want to say that I appreciate you accepting her request. I don't think anyone else in the squad would be up for it."

"…"

"But I need to know for certain. If the worst should happen, will you really do it?"

"…Yes sir…"

Taking a moment to examine Marina's expression and voice, Welkin said, "Thank you. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I had to be sure I could count on you."

The two then watched for a moment as Dallas accidentally tripped on a stray sheet, sending her and a load of socks tumbling to the ground. As Dallas began to sob, Alicia knelt down next to her and helped the girl to her feet. The gesture prompted Dallas to wrap her arms around Alicia in a bear hug, which caught Alicia by surprise and brought a very visible blush to her face.

"…Truthfully sir, I'd rather not have to be pushed into that corner if I can help it."

"Me neither. I mean, I don't want to lose Alicia, but… I also worry that her power may be too much for her to handle. But I plan to do whatever I can to help her."

"…"

Feeling that there was nothing more to discuss, Marina turned and climbed down the ladder, leaving Welkin in the watchtower to look down at Alicia.

* * *

Marina did her best to avoid speaking with anyone on her way to the command building of the base. Though a number of militia soldiers gave her approving glances and an occasional thumbs-up, she did not respond. She had never liked the attention she was getting for being publicized as a war hero.

As she neared the command building, she suddenly heard a voice call, "Sergeant Wulfstan! You have a moment?"

Sighing in discontent, Marina turned to see Ellet walking towards her, a pad of paper and a pencil in one hand. She had obviously caught wind of Marina's meeting with Damon, but Marina wasn't surprised. Ellet was very good at getting information; it came with her territory as a reporter. Still, she had proven helpful to Marina in the past, providing her with useful information at times.

"…What is it now?"

"A little bird told me you were headed off to see General Damon. Care to share why that is?"

"I'm just seeing what the fool wants, that's all."

"Ooh, touchy. As I understand it, the two of you haven't been on good terms lately."

"Just lately?"

Ellet couldn't help but snicker for a second. She then said, "I guess you're right. You will fill me in on the details afterwards, right?"

"I won't need to. You'll probably just spy on us by yourself."

"Sharp as a knife, I see."

Giving Marina a respectful nod, Ellet walked off. Marina guessed Ellet would look for a good hiding place near Damon's office so she could listen in on the meeting. In any case, Marina chose not to think about it as she continued on inside the building.

Within a few minutes, Marina reached the door to Damon's office, its entrance flanked by two Regular Army shock troopers. Many Regular Army officers who were in the halls were giving her nasty glances, but she shrugged them off. She knew they weren't content with seeing a militia "peasant" among the so-called elite of Gallia's military. Marina found it ironic; she could probably outshoot any of them.

As Marina walked up to the two guards, one of them said, "General Damon is expecting you, Sergeant Wulfstan. Go on in."

Marina said nothing in response as she turned the knob and the door swung open.

Damon's office was what Marina had expected; vain and gaudy, if only a temporary setup. A cabinet with numerous undeserved medals stood against the left wall, while several animal heads were mounted on the right. Of particular note to Marina was the mounted head of a grey wolf. Overall, the room was only slightly less bearable than Damon's office at Fort Amatriain.

Sitting in a fancy chair behind his desk, General Damon was helping himself to a glass of wine. The corpulent man had never made an effort to hide his habit of drinking, and so far no one had questioned or criticized him about it. Marina chose not to as well; nothing would have really come of it, anyways.

Setting his wine glass down, Damon said to Marina, "Ah, Wulfstan. I've been expecting you. Have a seat."

"…I'll stand, sir…"

Damon's expression quickly turned to a frown at Marina's answer. The only reason he put up with her attitude was because she had skill and the respect of the militia. Marina, seeing the general's expression, felt some satisfaction in knowing she was already pushing his buttons.

"Fine. Let's get straight to the point, then," said Damon. "Sergeant, I've got a proposition for you."

"…A proposition, sir?"

"Although you come from those commoners in the militia, the brass, including myself, can't deny your skill as a sniper. It was quite the same with your father, actually. A shame Marcus couldn't be around today to help drive those Imperials out."

"…"

"In any case, despite your current standing in the army, I feel that your talent would be of great value to Gallia as a whole."

"…What are you getting at?"

Ignoring Marina's disrespectful tone, Damon said, "There's been an opening recently at Lanseal Military Academy for a sniper instructor. I was planning to give the position to Captain Hazel, but he was killed two days ago while on patrol. As such, I'm extending you the offer for the position."

"…"

"The job's quite a privilege, actually. As a member of the Lanseal military staff, you'd be privy to receiving the best education Gallia has to offer. And that's–"

"I'll pass."

"–just for starters. You'd be – Eh, what?" Damon had not expected Marina's quick answer, nor for it to be a refusal.

"…I'm not interested, sir. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

As Marina turned to leave, Damon snapped, "You will stay where you are, Sergeant, until I give you permission to leave!" As the sniper turned back to him, Damon continued, "And you will explain to me immediately why you've turned down my generous offer!"

Marina almost scoffed at this. It seemed Damon was planning to force her into the position, all to further his career. With Marina teaching at Lanseal, Damon would be credited for making Gallia's snipers some of the deadliest in Europa.

"…When this war is over, I plan to return home, sir."

"Is that so, Sergeant? Tch, you're as stubborn as your old man. Turned down every offer he was ever given too, just so he could raise you to be an ungrateful brat."

Marina glared at Damon, but the man wasn't intimidated by her. He had no reason to be; barely five seconds away were at least ten men loyal to him. He knew Marina hated him, but where he was, she couldn't touch him.

Standing up, Damon said as he paced around his desk, "A war hero like you should know to do what's best for Gallia. And right now that involves a spot at Lanseal. I might not have Sergeant Melchiott's cooperation, but I doubt I'll need it if I can make Gallia's snipers the most feared in Europa!"

"…"

It was public knowledge that Damon had made an earlier attempt to 'recruit' Alicia into the Regular Army, but she had refused the offer, choosing to stay with Squad Seven. Princess Cordelia, who had paid a recent visit to the front lines to inspire the troops, had sided with Alicia, so Damon was left unable to do anything about it. Now, without having a Valkyria in his service, Damon planned to get the next best thing.

"Let's get something straight, Wulfstan," said Damon. "As long as I'm in command, you are required as a soldier of Gallia to follow my orders! Is that clear?"

Marina did not answer this, her silence showing her defiance. Then, to Damon's frustration, Marina turned and walked toward the exit.

"You get back here, Wulfstan!" Damon shouted.

As he did, the two soldiers guarding the door rushed in and blocked the exit. Marina glared at the two guards, who after a moment slowly stepped away from her, too intimidated to stop her.

Before Marina left, she said to Damon, "Tell me something, sir. Did you kill that wolf yourself or get someone else to do it for you?"

Damon made a short 'urk' as he tried to come up with a retort. When he said nothing, Marina smirked.

"Thought so…"

As Damon was left turning red with fury, Marina strode out of the office. Turning a corner, Marina almost laughed as she heard Damon shouting incoherent threats at her. She did, however, get the idea that the general wanted to throttle her.

And as she crouched below a window to the office, jotting down some notes, Ellet couldn't help but snicker. "Well done, Marina," Ellet said amusedly.

* * *

Fort Ghirlandaio stood towering over an open network of trenches, but it itself was dwarfed by a pair of tall mountains on its sides. Ghirlandaio was the last of the Empire's strongholds in Gallia, captured at the start of the war and used as the main Imperial headquarters. It was a suitable choice; Ghirlandaio was a virtually impenetrable fortress, only taken due to the efforts of the Imperial Valkyria, Selvaria Bles.

Within the high walls, hundreds of Imperial troops scrambled to fortify the base with antitank guns and machinegun nests. Outside, engineers carefully set dense minefields at choke points in the rocks, a mix of antipersonnel mines and antitank mines. The few tanks the Imperials had left were inside the walls being refitted with additional armor and, in some cases, larger cannons.

From inside the fortress halls, Cezary watched as a blond man dressed in a royal military outfit stepped into a staff car, accompanied by several elite soldiers in motorcycles and four light tanks. Prince Maximilian, it seemed, shared Cezary's belief that Ghirlandaio would fall to the Gallian Army. Yet the sniper found it strange how the prince was still so confident of success, despite his position.

Soon, the staff car drove out of the rear end of the fortress, accompanied by Maximilian's escort. Cezary continued to watch as the prince's group disappeared down the road leading to the Empire.

"I'm impressed you're still around," said a voice down the hall.

Turning, Cezary saw one of Maximilian's top officers, Major General Radi Jaeger, strolling toward him. The Fhiraldian veteran had his usual laidback expression on his face; Cezary found it amazing how Jaeger always seemed to be in a good mood, even when things were at their worst.

Leaning against a wall, Jaeger added, "Many of the men thought you would have fled by now."

"The thought had crossed my mind," said Cezary.

"I don't doubt it. This is quite a corner we've been backed into. And to think, only a short while ago we were on the brink of victory. We were too confident that we would succeed, and we paid the price."

"Confidence had nothing to do with it, if you ask me. Your Azure Witch just couldn't cut it when it mattered."

"Perhaps. However, believe it or not, His Grace hadn't initially intended to win this war using her power. We hadn't suspected that Gallia would put up such a fight. But as things dragged on, it became clear that would have need of the Valkyrur's power."

"And even that wasn't enough."

"You sound as if you aren't surprised at what happened."

"Don't let me fool you. Melchiott's little rampage was a surprise for me too."

"Hmm… You refer to her by name?"

"Yeah, I know her. What of it?"

Jaeger paused for a moment, and then said in a more serious tone, "A word of advice, Mr. Regard. Some of those men out there won't be so forgiving toward your background."

"Are you done yet?"

"Apparently so."

Jaeger strode past Cezary and disappeared down the dark hallway. Cezary scoffed at the general's warning; it was nothing new to him.

Besides, he had more important things to worry about.

* * *

Word of Damon's meeting with Marina seemed to spread around quickly. All over the base, militia soldiers were getting into arguments with Regular Army officers, openly protesting their "oppression".

As Marina walked through the tank pool, she turned as Catherine ran up to her and said, "You're just a stickler for trouble, aren't you?"

"…Someone needed to do it at some point."

With a short laugh, Catherine said, "I'm glad you did, actually. I only wish I'd been there to see the look on his face."

"…You know where Leon is?"

"Leon? Oh, he's with Zaka and Ramsey right now. They're busy refitting the Shamrock."

As Marina and Catherine walked through the crowds of militia soldiers, many gave their applause to Marina for standing up to Damon. Though Catherine smiled at hearing all the support, Marina chose to ignore it.

Then, a minute or so later, Marina saw the Shamrock. Zaka had his head sticking out of the turret and was speaking to Ramsey, who was busy fixing a heavy Gatling gun onto the tank. Leon was behind the tank making adjustments to its engine.

Walking up behind Leon, Marina said, "Schmidt, you have it ready?"

"Huh? Marina!" Leon said, startled by the sniper's sudden appearance. "Oh yeah, it's ready. It's over there on the workbench." Leon absentmindedly pointed out a nearby wooden table.

Turning to it, Marina saw what she was looking for. A new sniper rifle sat on the workbench next to a box of rounds. Words etched on the side said "GSR-30"; it was Gallia's new version of the GSR, recently finished by Leon's team.

As Marina inspected the rifle, Leon said, "We used Kloden dark walnut in making the gunstock. I also had to make the barrel a bit longer to increase its accuracy at range. But I'm sure it'll be better than your GSR-20."

"…We'll see about that."

"We've already got some targets set up for you. Go ahead and try it out."

Marina scooped up one of the ammunition boxes and looked out at the targets Leon's team had arranged. They were quite a distance away, at least several hundred meters or further. Setting the ammo box down, Marina took out one of the rounds. It was a strangely long bullet, probably meant to pierce tough body armor.

Sliding open the loading chamber of the GSR-XXX, Marina inserted the new round and closed the chamber. Marina remarked how the parts didn't move very smoothly; Leon had obviously designed the rifle for performance, not ease of use, by making the rifle's parts sturdier and more rigid.

Balancing the rifle in her arms, Marina took aim down the range at the closest target. Looking down the rifle's scope, Marina immediately saw a difference compared to her father's old sniper scope. The magnification was significantly higher, more than what Marina was used to. Unfortunately, Leon had told her before that the rifle would be incompatible with her old scope; she would have to adjust to the new one.

Then, as she placed her sights on the closest target, Marina realized another factor to the rifle. It was significantly heavier and more difficult to aim than the GSR-XX, likely due to the stronger materials in its design. The elongated barrel only added to the weight and balance issues. Marina was forced to kneel down in order to keep the weapon straight.

Realizing that Marina hadn't fired yet, Leon asked, "Is everything alright, Marina?"

"…It's heavy…"

"Sorry, but that wasn't something I could really work around. I had to make the rifle stronger so it could fire at longer ranges, and this was the best way I could think of."

"…I'll make it work…"

Straightening the rifle, Marina took careful aim at a target. It was extremely far away, nearly 800 meters. It was a range even Marina had difficulty with; stray winds or other factors could easily blow a shot off course. In addition, she would also need to take gravity into account; the shot would likely lose momentum and drop at such long range.

Marina lined up her shot and fired. Through her scope, she watched as a hole was blown in the bull's-eye of the wooden target. The bullet had flown exactly as she had aimed it.

"…Not bad…"

As Marina opened the loading chamber, Leon said, "Oh, by the way, nice job sticking it to the general."

"…Thanks…"

As she finished reloading, Marina took aim at a second target and fired.

* * *

Stomping around angrily, Damon continued to curse Marina for her defiance. Among all the militia soldiers he had had to deal with, Marina was one of the most troublesome. She was considered a role model by the men and women of the militia, and having her arrested for insubordination would surely have dire consequences. He would've just left her alone, yet she was a source of dissention in the militia that had to be squashed, so that others wouldn't follow her example.

For the longest time, Damon hoped that one of the Imperials would get lucky and kill her, but no such luck came to him. Now, she was more threatening than ever; her latest act of defiance was stirring similar sentiments in the militia. Reports were coming in all over of cases of insubordination from militiamen against Regular Army officers.

Stopping for a moment in front of his desk, Damon turned to his aide and said, "Lieutenant, I need you to deliver a message to Sergeant Vargas. Tell him and his crew to meet me in the munitions warehouse at 2300 hours tonight. And keep it quiet. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" said Damon's aide.

Outside Damon's window, Ellet quickly jotted down the time and place of Damon's meeting, grinning all the while.

With a silent giggle, Ellet said, "Now this is a scoop!"

* * *

The sound of running water drowned out most other noise from outside the women's locker room. For the most part, however, the room was empty. Steam had engulfed the far corner of the showers.

Standing behind a set of white curtains, Marina had her head beneath a running showerhead. She raised her face to the showerhead, allowing water to flow across her. The feel of warm water cleansing her skin was welcoming after a long day.

By her own choice, Marina had come to the showers alone. Whenever the other Sevens were around, talk often degenerated to comparing breast sizes or something similar, something that Marina hated being a part of. She was also rather modest about her own features; that enough prompted her to take her showers alone.

Being alone had also given her time to think about the earlier events of the day. It hadn't taken long for her actions against Damon to have an effect on the army. All over, militia soldiers were refusing orders from Regular Army officers who were loyal to Damon. It wasn't a full-scale revolt – the Imperials were still regarded as the enemy – but it was certainly having consequences. Over twenty soldiers had been arrested for starting fights; thankfully no one from Squad Seven had suffered that fate, though Alex Raymond had come close.

Still, these things made Marina ponder whether or not she had done the right thing. She had no intention of being Damon's pawn, but she wondered whether or not she could've been more tasteful in her refusal. Then again, etiquette was never her forte.

Then, Marina heard the echo of footsteps approaching her. This came to her alarm; the other Sevens never chose to interrupt Marina while she was bathing, especially after she had once caught Ted peeping at her. He had ended up receiving the beating of his life from that incident; it served as a suitable warning to the others. Unless Ted hadn't learned his lesson from before, Marina guessed that it was someone else.

Judging by the day's events, she guessed it could be one of Damon's men. Maybe his earlier threats hadn't been so hollow after all, Marina thought. Maybe he really did want her dead. And in her current position, she was cornered – a worst case scenario for any soldier, let alone a sniper.

Still, it seemed rather ridiculous that someone would try to kill her while she was in the shower. Surely someone would catch the culprit. Either way, it didn't matter to Marina whether the footsteps were coming from an assassin or some perverted rookie. Whatever the case was, she didn't plan to be caught off guard.

As the footsteps got closer, Marina stood in place as she slowly reached for her Colt, which lay on a shelf normally meant for soap. She had a habit of keeping it nearby at all times; her father had taught her never to leave herself unarmed if she could help it. Clasping the gun in her hand, Marina reached for the shower curtain.

In a swift movement, Marina tore the curtain away, covering her body with the sheet as she raised her gun. To her surprise, no one was there. Her eyes twitched around as she looked for any sign of an intruder. There was nothing.

Then, she heard a small "_Moink!_" come from her feet. In a reflexive movement, Marina swung her pistol downward, pointing the barrel straight at Hans. The porcavian squealed loudly as he darted out of the locker room, terrified of Marina.

Almost immediately after Hans vanished, Marina's livid expression gave way to embarrassment. The piglet hadn't known any better.

"…"

With an awkward sigh, Marina slowly flicked the safety switch on her Colt, disarming her pistol, and placed it back on the soap shelf. She then turned the valves of the shower, cutting off the flow of warm water. For a few seconds, all that could be heard was a slow dripping sound from the tap.

"…Dammit…"

* * *

Darkness crept slowly over the Gallian camp. Though a few tent lights were still on, most of the militia and Regular Army had turned in for the night. A few soldiers stayed awake, manning watchtowers and patrolling the nearby woods.

At the south end of the camp was a large warehouse. The building had recently been filled with ammunition and fuel in preparation for the siege on Ghirlandaio. Crates of tank shells, rifle clips and explosives were arranged messily throughout the warehouse.

Behind a pile of ammo crates, Ellet waited out of sight as she watched the entrance to the warehouse. Damon hadn't shown up yet, despite what Ellet had heard. It was now almost 11:15PM, but no one had come to meet with him.

She wondered whether or not Damon had canceled the meeting or not. Ellet sighed in disappointment; this wasn't the first time this had happened to her.

Then, Ellet heard the echo of approaching footsteps and snapped her eyes forward. Damon was at the entrance to the warehouse, followed by four other men. They wore the emblem of Damon's personal tank crews.

Ellet watched as the five men came under a light in the warehouse. The group's leader, a sergeant, was completely bald, though his face was broad and muscular, much like the rest of him. Though he appeared a strong soldier, he also bore a sinister look on his face.

This was what she had been waiting for. Ellet quickly snapped a hand to the audio recorder strapped to her shoulder and took out a microphone. As she adjusted the microphone's sensitivity, she slipped an earphone on, wanting to listen to her recording as she made it. In addition, the earphone kept the recorder's playback from being heard by others. The echo of the warehouse would make it easy to hear and record sounds.

"You guys keep a lookout," the sergeant said to his lackeys. The recorder played a garbled sound to Ellet, but a quick adjustment fixed the problem.

"Vargas," said Damon. "I'm sure you're aware of today's fiasco with the militia."

"Yes sir," said Vargas. His voice was somewhat deep, grim, and quite pleasured.

"Sergeant, I've been merciful so far with these peasants, but I am not about to let Wulfstan's actions go unpunished. I'd have court-martialed her for insubordination, but such action would likely lead to a full-scale revolt. She's well-respected by many of those peasants, and I'm not about to make a martyr out of her. I need her to be removed… carefully."

"What did you have in mind, sir?"

"Wulfstan's going to be on a patrol tomorrow near Ghirlandaio. It'll essentially put her behind the enemy lines, near Dahlen and Egeln."

"You intend to send her on a suicide mission, sir? I don't see how I fit into this."

"You're to make sure she doesn't return, Sergeant. Whether or not the Imperials get her, I want Wulfstan dead! Understand me?"

Ellet's eyes shot wide open in surprise. She hadn't imagined Damon was as infuriated with Marina as to attempt to kill her! Then, Ellet grinned with intrigue. This scoop would be enough to shake the whole Gallian Army, and would surely see Damon removed from command for conspiracy to commit murder.

"If you're forced to kill Wulfstan yourselves, however, I want you to make it look like an accident. And make sure you take out anyone else who's with her; I don't want any witnesses."

"Understood, sir."

"I knew I could count on you, Vargas. I chose you and your men for this mission because you're one of my best tank crews. Wulfstan won't stand a chance against the four of you!"

As Damon chuckled loudly, Ellet murmured, "That should do it."

Ellet moved a hand to shut off her recorder. But as she did, her arm rubbed against one of the knobs, turning it. A high-pitched whine screeched out of the recorder, much to Ellet's horror. She snapped her hand to the power switch, shutting down the recorder and silencing the noise. But it was too late. The whine had echoed loudly through the warehouse.

"Eh? What was that?" Damon hissed. Next to him, Vargas looked around for the sound's source.

Ellet began to sweat profusely as Vargas and his three cronies searched for her. The reporter slowly began creep through the warehouse, trying to stay hidden. If she could make it to the exit, she would be safe.

Bit by bit, Ellet moved slowly toward the exit while Vargas and his two henchmen searched the piles of crates. Damon, on the other hand, looked around nervously from side to side. It was clear he was afraid of being caught; a scandal like this one would not only ruin his military career, but would also face him with the possibility of a prison sentence or execution.

Nearing the exit, Ellet could see dim moonlight creep through the cracks in the door. She was almost there.

But then, the sound of a gun being cocked made her freeze.

"Well, well, what have we here?" said a male voice.

Ellet spun around to see one of the scouts aiming his pistol at her. The others were moving in to assist him.

As Ellet stood up, one of the tank jockeys said, "Hey, I know her. She's the broad from that radio. Probably thought she'd get a big story right here, huh sweetie?"

"Yeah, a really big one," said Ellet, trying not to show fear. "Gotta say, General, you need to lighten up a little. I mean, trying to kill Gallia's best sniper because she's making you look bad? That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

Smirking, Damon said, "You misunderstand the point, reporter. Wulfstan's a major source of dissent in the militia. The peasants have made a hero of her, and just like their hero, they follow her example and undermine my command! Those fools need to remember their place, as men who have to follow MY orders, just like her!"

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, she's respected because she has skill, something that inspires more than a few soldiers. And I don't think she has anything to do with how the militia sees you. Today, she was just telling it to you straight: those boys and girls out there aren't your chess pawns."

Now infuriated, Damon shouted, "Get her!"

Vargas' henchmen advanced on Ellet, their guns trained on her. Ellet nervously backed away, trying to find an opening to escape from. But as she did, she accidently backed right into Vargas. Before Ellet could react, Vargas wrapped an arm around her neck, putting her in a choke hold. Ellet's glasses fell from her face, breaking as they hit the ground.

Ellet tried to scream for help, but her cries were hoarse and weak from a lack of air. She tried to kick at Vargas' legs, something that quickly annoyed him. Then, one of his henchmen ran up to Vargas and swung a fist into Ellet's stomach. Stunned, Ellet's struggles stopped, prompting Vargas to drop her to the ground.

As the reporter lay dazed on the floor, Vargas popped open her audio recorder and removed the cassette tape from it. He then crushed the tape beneath his boot.

Drawing his pistol, Vargas said to Damon, "Should I finish her off?"

Quickly pondering, Damon said, "No, no, too many people will ask questions. Just stuff her in one of the crates for now until I can come up with something."

Ellet blacked out before Vargas' henchmen grabbed hold of her arms and legs.

* * *

Sitting on the cold stone of Ghirlandaio's parapets, Cezary looked out at the plains leading into Gallia. There was no sign of movement. Looking up, the sniper gazed at the stars, which were joined by a crescent moon. The night truly was beautiful.

Cezary, however, was left unable to fully appreciate the night sky. Much to his annoyance, Jaeger's warning from earlier was stuck in his head. Though the general had been right, Cezary couldn't understand why Jaeger had given him that warning. Why was an Imperial general from Fhirald looking out for him?

Then, Cezary heard a set of footsteps on cobblestone approaching. Turning, he saw three Imperial soldiers approaching him. All three wore a curious sash on them of a golden lion grasping a similarly-golden sphere in its paws. Cezary recognized it as the symbol of the Purists, a faction in the Empire that believed the Imperial army should only consist of pure-blooded Imperials. They clearly had an issue with Cezary being a Gallian.

Turning to his comrades, one of the Purists said, "Told you we'd find this Gallian rat out here."

"Care to tell us what you're doing out here, rat?" said the second Purist.

"What, can't a guy enjoy a little fresh air?" Cezary said arrogantly.

Offended, the third Purist said, "Feh, typical. Rat thinks he owns the place just 'cause he thinks he's on His Grace's good side."

"I say we teach this rat a lesson, guys," said the first Purist. "Let him know his place and all."

As the second Purist cracked his knuckles eagerly, Cezary got to his feet and slowly reached for a pistol strapped to his belt. He knew the Purists probably intended to kill him, and wasn't about to let them off easily.

"Hehe, look at that," said the third Purist. "The rat thinks he's a real badass with that little gun."

"Guess we're in luck, guys," said the first Purist. "Now we've got a good reason to kill this rat."

"And what reason would that be?" said a familiar voice.

Caught by surprise, the Purists turned to see Jaeger walking toward them. He had obviously seen everything. The Purists quickly saluted him.

"G-General Jaeger, sir!" the second Purist stammered. "What are you doing out this late?"

"It's so nice out that I felt like going for a stroll. Coincidentally, I couldn't help but notice the three of you threatening Mr. Regard here."

"Sir, with all due respect," said the first Purist, "we can't afford to trust him. He's from the enemy side, sir!"

"I'm well aware of Mr. Regard's heritage, as I'm sure you are aware of mine. Care to place me in the same boat as him?"

"N-No, sir!"

"Then, on my orders, you are to leave Mr. Regard alone. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" the Purists said in unison.

"Good. Now I'd like to speak with Mr. Regard privately, if you don't mind."

Not needing any further instruction, the Purists took off. As they disappeared into the halls of Ghirlandaio, Cezary moved his hand away from his pistol.

"You're quite fortunate, Mr. Regard," said Jaeger. "If you had killed one of those men, you would have been shot on sight."

"Why do you care?"

"I have my reasons. You and I share something in common: neither of us was born in the Empire, yet we serve her armies as though we were her native sons."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm not in this cause of some patriotism crap…"

With a short smile, Jaeger turned his back to Cezary and said, "I thought I should let you know, a group of my men and I are going to be on patrol tomorrow afternoon. I'd like you to join us."

"Patrols aren't my thing."

"Please, I insist. Or would you rather remain here in the presence of the Purists? I can hardly keep my eye on them while I'm away."

"Tch, fine."

"Glad to hear it. Meet me at the front gate at 1500 hours. I'll be expecting you."

As Jaeger walked away, Cezary glared at the general. Cezary knew he was up to something; he just didn't know what it was. Whatever it was, the sniper suspected that it wouldn't be a good thing for him.

* * *

The next day came with a clear sky and warm sun. By noon, many militia combat patrols had been deployed near and along the Imperial lines, watching for any possibility of a sneak attack from the Imperials. Gallia had the upper hand, but quite a few believed the Empire wouldn't be ousted from the country without a significant effort.

Creeping through a thick set of trees, Marina crouched as she moved slowly from tree to tree, following closely behind Nadine, Montley and Nancy. She constantly turned her head side to side, looking for any sign of Imperial forces. Her group's route was dangerously close to the Imperial lines. They also weren't given any vehicular transportation; nearly all of the vehicles and tanks were being prepared for the siege on Ghirlandaio, which was scheduled to start the next day.

Marina grimaced as she dwelt on her current circumstances. In truth, nearly every patrol that day was being taken too close to the Imperial lines, with virtually no armored support. Marina couldn't help but suspect that Damon had made it that way just to get at her. It wasn't the first time he had done something that underhanded; the invasion of Fouzen was rumored to have been meant to get Welkin killed.

Regardless, Marina decided to keep her focus on the patrol. She would have time to dwell on politics when she got back to the base.

Then, Nancy suddenly asked, "Umm, Marina?"

Jolting, Marina almost brought her new rifle's barrel up to Nancy's head when she managed to catch herself. Nancy yelped as she stumbled back, tripping on a set of tree roots and falling flat on her back. The whole event was a mix of amusement and shock to Nadine and Montley.

Nancy whimpered a silent "Owie" as she pushed herself up. Montley helped Nancy to her feet as he asked, "You okay, Nancy?"

"I'm– I'm alright. Just a little bump." Turning to Marina, Nancy asked, "What'd you do that for?"

"Yeah, Marina?" Nadine added. "She just asked you a question."

"…Let's keep moving…"

As Marina strode past them, Nadine whispered to Montley, "Hey Montley, doesn't Marina seem a little… edgy lately?"

"Yeah, I know," Montley replied. "It's kinda scary, actually."

"Marina's always scary," said Nancy. "Even when she's being nice…"

"You can talk about me behind my back when we're done this patrol," Marina said sternly, having overheard the others.

Sheepishly, the three Sevens decided to keep quiet as they followed the sniper.

* * *

Not being on one of the patrols brought mixed feelings to Catherine. On one hand, she wasn't around to look out for Marina; she had specifically ordered Catherine to stay in the base, not wanting her company. Catherine could only guess why.

On the other hand, Catherine had some free time on her hands. And she knew just how she was going to spend that time.

Standing outside the munitions warehouse, Catherine walked up to a supply officer guarding the entrance. As the sniper approached, the officer stepped toward her and said, "This building's off limits to you grunts. General's orders. Now get lost."

Smirking, Catherine pulled a small handful of ducats out of her pocket and asked, "I just want to have a little look inside, that's all. Would twenty ducats get me that?"

Now showing signs of anger, the supply officer said, "No, but it'll get you three months in the stockade! Now beat it before I call security!" Then, when Catherine tried to haggle further, the officer put a hand to his sidearm. "Last warning, peasant!"

Sighing, Catherine turned to leave. But as she did, a young voice suddenly hollered, "Aisha gonna catch you, Hans!"

Running toward Catherine and the supply officer was Aisha, who was joyfully chasing a squealing Hans. The piglet scurried toward the officer, running in between his legs. Unable to stop, Aisha yelped as she slammed into the officer, knocking her to the ground on her behind.

"Owwww…" Aisha moaned as she rubbed her posterior sorely.

Angry with the child, the supply officer snarled, "Watch where you're going, you little brat!"

Insulted, Aisha shouted, "Don't call me that, you big meanie!"

Laughing, the officer said arrogantly, "Oh yeah, brat? What are you gonna do to stop me?"

Now fuming, Aisha raised her head to snarl at the officer. In response, the officer shoved her back with an open hand to her forehead, knocking the junior shock trooper down again. Recovering, Aisha furiously ran at the officer and kicked him in the shins. The officer yelped shortly, but it was apparent that Aisha had only made him angrier.

"Why you…!"

The officer struck Aisha in the forehead with the back of his hand. The girl shrieked as she was knocked to the ground. Now crying, Aisha tried to stand back up, but the officer walked over to her and pulled her up by one of her pigtails, causing her to shriek loudly. As the officer lowered his face to hers, Aisha glared back at him, despite having tears flooding her eyes.

Raising a fist, the officer said, "This is why I hate kids."

Just before he struck, the officer stopped as he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned just as Catherine said, "It's not nice to hit children, you know."

A second later, the sniper's fist smashed into the supply officer's head, sending him to the ground. Aisha stumbled back a bit upon being released, but managed to regain her balance.

As Catherine massaged her fingers, which were lightly bruised, she turned to Aisha and said, "You alright, kiddo?"

"Aisha's alright, Missus Catherine," Aisha said as she rubbed her forehead gingerly. "Umm, thank you for beating that meanie up."

"It's no problem. If anything, I should be thanking you. He was in my way." Opening the door to the munitions warehouse, Catherine asked the junior trooper, "Care to join me?"

Not needing much convincing, Aisha followed Catherine into the munitions warehouse. As they entered, Hans scurried through the door just before it closed.

* * *

Marina looked out of the trees through her new sniper scope, taking care to remain hidden. Through her scope, she watched as two Imperial scouts walked outside a two-story wooden lodge. Through its windows, she was able to make out at least three more Imperials, though she assumed there would be more inside. Marina guessed there were no more than ten soldiers garrisoned at the lodge; it wasn't large enough to accommodate more than that.

The lodge stood looking down at a crossroad leading southwest from Ghirlandaio. A sign at the crossroads had the names "Dahlen" and "Egeln" etched on arrows leading south and south-southwest, respectively. The lodge itself was likely being used as a makeshift warning station, so that the Imperials at Ghirlandaio would be alerted to any enemy advances and would have time to organize its defense. It wasn't a major obstacle, but it was still an obstacle nonetheless. It would have to be taken out.

The problem was that the group had no lancers, and Nadine didn't have any high-explosive charges on her. Since the group was a patrol, they were made to travel lightly; they didn't even have that much ammunition. They couldn't just blow the lodge down; at best, they'd be able to capture it or weaken its garrison.

Either way, it would be easier said than done; the Imperials usually had at least one heavy machinegun for such outposts. Given its position, it had a perfect field of fire to any direct assaults. Marina only had her new GSR-XXX and three others with her, all utilizing Gallian-SXX rifles. The Imperials had a significant advantage in firepower.

Still, experience had taught her that superior weapons didn't win battles. Mobility, deception and caution could defeat any weapon on the field of battle. It was what had allowed the Sevens to survive for so long in the war with so few losses. And again, it would keep such a task from being impossible.

Even so, Marina knew this was going to be tough.

Her train of thought was suddenly disrupted as Nancy asked, "So, umm, Marina? What're we gonna do about those Imperials?"

"Come on, let's just get in there and take those Imps out!" Montley said impatiently. "Ahh! I can't just sit here!"

"Cut it out, Montley!" Nadine hissed. "Marina's thinking."

"…Will all of you shut the hell up?"

Realizing how much they were distracting her, the three Sevens quieted down. Free of any distractions, Marina continued to watch the enemy soldiers.

Then, unexpectedly, one of the Imperial scouts took a defensive stance as he looked in Marina's direction. He must have caught a glimpse one of them; it was probably Montley. He was never any good at stealth, and his jittering only made him easier to spot in the brush.

The Imperial scout turned to his ally and said something Marina couldn't make out. He then signaled to another soldier in the lodge, who went to alert anyone else inside. The two scouts then began advancing slowly toward the Sevens' position.

"…Great…"

Now trembling, Nancy squeaked, "W-What are we gonna do? Should we run?"

Marina turned to the others and made a series of hand signals, trying not to make any noise. The order was to spread out, maintaining their cover and maximizing their field of fire against the enemy position, while forcing the enemy to spread out its own fire. Each one nodding, the others Sevens crept away behind the bushes as the two Imperial scouts approached.

A moment of sneaking later, Marina turned toward the lodge and raised her GSR, directing the weapon at an Imperial who was standing right at one of the windows. Briefly turning to her left, she saw Nadine make a small hand signal. The others were ready to begin the attack. Marina made a return signal, ordering the others to fire on the approaching scouts first. Nadine nodded before passing on the message to Nancy.

Marina's crosshairs met on the helmet of the Imperial inside the lodge.

"…Rest now…"

The rifle blared as its round flew out like an arrow, striking the soldier in the head. He dropped like a stone.

As Marina reloaded, the other Sevens opened fire, cutting down the two enemy scouts before they could react. As the scouts dropped, shouting voices could be heard from inside the lodge as four more men scrambled outside. One of the windows swung open as an Imperial brought up a heavy machinegun to the windowsill and fired down at the brush below.

After firing a blind burst of rounds at the enemy on the hill, Nancy detached her rifle's clip to load in a new one. But as she attempted to reload, she shrieked as a burst of machinegun fire raked the tree she was hiding behind, sending splinters flying everywhere. In doing so, she ended up dropping the magazine.

"Aah! My bullets!" Nancy squeaked, diving down to try and retrieve her ammo.

"Nancy, look out!" Nadine shouted.

Nadine's warning startled Nancy, causing her to trip and topple to the ground. Miraculously, the accident ended up saving her; a pair of rifle rounds streaked just over her back. Moaning, Nancy scrambled around for her ammo, not realizing the gunner was training his machinegun on her.

The gunner never got a chance to fire. Blood spattered out behind him as a sniper bullet penetrated his skull and helmet. The gunner keeled over.

Marina didn't immediately reload her weapon, choosing to quickly change her position as a shock trooper fired a burst at her former position. Ducking behind a thick tree, Marina turned to Nadine, who fired two shots at a scout, hitting him in the torso. As Nadine looked at her, Marina made a hand signal, ordering the engineer to attempt to advance as soon as possible. Nadine nodded as Marina slid open the loading chamber of her rifle, ejecting the spent cartridge.

Nadine brought her rifle up and fired, striking a shock trooper in his knee. The Imperial barely managed to stop his fall, kneeling on his wounded knee as he turned his submachine gun toward her and fired a burst. Nadine ducked down with a yelp, letting the bullets pass over her back. As the Imperial's clip ran out, Nadine rose back up and put another round into the wounded shock trooper, finishing him off. At the same time, Nancy shot down another scout who was holding position outside the lodge. She then ducked as a scout fired down at her from the lodge, though he quickly met his end to Marina's GSR, a shot through his head.

With only one soldier left outside of the lodge, Montley shouted, "We've got them now! Let's go!" He then sprung out of the bushes and charged up at the lodge.

"Montley, wait for me!" Nancy shouted as she jumped out to try and follow her impatient friend.

Nadine and Marina, however, chose to keep behind cover wisely. As the two scouts had left their cover, the heavy machinegun opened up again. Another of the Imperials had taken the first gunner's place. Montley yelped as he scrambled away from a line of bullet fire.

Nancy, on the other hand, tried to aim up at the gunner as she ran at the lodge. In her usual clumsiness, she tripped on her own toes, shrieking as she landed face-first in the grass. The gunner took advantage of this and swung his machinegun in her direction. Seeing the gunner aiming straight down at her, Nancy squeaked as she ducked her head down, hoping the end would be quick for her.

What happened next was quite the opposite of what Nancy expected. A single loud bang shot out, instead of a steady pattering. Quivering, Nancy looked up to see the gunner was gone. Marina had shot him down. Nancy sighed in relief. She seemed to be having blessed luck that day.

Up in front of the lodge, the last of the Imperials, realizing he was hopelessly outmatched, attempted to flee. He barely made it five steps before a burst of rifle rounds struck him in the back. The soldier toppled to the ground lifelessly.

Seeing no more hostiles, Nadine ran out from the brush to join the two scouts, who had reached the lodge. Montley was the first to enter, rushing inside almost carelessly. Nancy followed shortly afterward.

Within ten seconds, Nancy appeared in the upstairs window and shouted to Marina, "All clear!"

Finally coming out from the trees, Marina slowly walked toward the lodge. As she did, she looked at the bodies of the Imperials her group had just killed. Their armor seemed shinier than most other Imperials; they were probably new recruits. Backing up this theory was the fact that these men were terrible shots, a result of having newer weapons in terms of polish, and the soldiers being rather trigger-happy.

As Nadine reached the front of the lodge, met quickly by Montley, she heard a man groaning in pain and swiftly turned to the source. One of the Imperials was still alive, but had a bullet wound in his gut and was bleeding rapidly. His breath was hoarse. Blood was seeping out of his mouth. To Nadine's shock, he barely looked seventeen.

"He-Help me… P-Please…" the Imperial gasped painfully.

Montley and Nadine looked down at the wounded Imperial, taking pity on him. Nadine slowly moved in to try and help the boy.

Then, Nadine shrieked in surprise as a gunshot rang out and a bullet went through the young man's forehead. Without even a whimper, the Imperial slumped over, dead.

Shocked, Nadine and Montley turned to the source of the shot. Marina's Colt was billowing wisps of smoke from its barrel. A moment of silence passed before Marina flicked the safety switch and returned the pistol to its belt holster.

Appalled, Nadine exclaimed, "Marina, why did you do that?"

"…His fate was already sealed…"

Now trembling with a mixture of anger and sorrow, Nadine said, "You… Are you really so cruel, Marina? I could've saved him!"

Marina swung around, glaring menacingly at Nadine. For a moment, Marina and Nadine were left staring at one another. Nadine did her best not to be unnerved by Marina's piercing eye, but couldn't stop herself from sweating. Then, a few seconds later, Marina broke her stare and walked past the Darcsen engineer.

"…No, you couldn't…" Marina then glanced at Montley and said, "Leonard, search the place for intel."

"R-Right…" Montley replied nervously.

* * *

Aisha was awestruck by the amount of ammo crates that filled the munitions warehouse. Even though much of what had been inside before had been dispensed to the Regular Army and the militia, approximately one-third of the warehouse was still crammed with ammo crates. Some were over twice as tall as she was.

As Aisha looked around in awe, Catherine was busily inspecting labels on some smaller crates. So far, she hadn't found what she was looking for: extra GSR-XX rounds. Though Catherine knew she would get a standard load-out for the Ghirlandaio siege, she always liked it more when she had extra rounds at her disposal. Unfortunately, it was never easy convincing the Quartermaster to give her extras; nowadays he wasn't accepting any of her bribes for fear of being caught by his superiors.

With mild frustration setting in, Catherine turned to Aisha and said, "Hey Aisha? Can you help me look through these crates? I can't seem to find any sniper rounds."

"Okay, Missus Catherine!" Aisha said enthusiastically, skipping over to look through a pile of ammo boxes.

Another minute or so passed, but neither Catherine nor Aisha had any luck. Catherine was left wondering if she were searching the wrong end of the warehouse.

"_Moi-oink! Moink moink!_"

Turning, Catherine saw Hans trotting quickly toward her with something in his teeth. As Hans stopped next to her, she saw that the piglet was holding a pair of glasses, apparently broken.

"Who'd you swipe those from, Hans?" Catherine asked, lowering her hand to take the glasses.

As Hans dropped the glasses onto her hand, Catherine took a close inspection of them. They were oval-shaped and quite fancy, with a lightweight metallic frame. They were clearly prescription glasses; even with damaged lenses, they made anything she could see through them fuzzy. They had to be quite expensive.

It was at this moment that Catherine recognized the glasses, and realized who they belonged to.

"These… these are Ellet's glasses."

Another realization hit Catherine: Ellet never went anywhere without her glasses. She needed them to see straight. A cold chill ran down Catherine's spine. Something must have happened to the reporter.

"Hans, where did you find these?"

With a short "_Moink_", Hans sped off down an aisle of large crates with Catherine following close behind. A few seconds later, Catherine saw a few tiny shards of glass on the ground, likely the rest of the broken lenses. But there was no sign of Ellet.

Then, as if on cue, Catherine heard a faint banging sound, as if someone were pounding on wood. The sniper slowly moved in the direction of the sound, drawing her pistol. With each step she took, the noise became steadily louder and closer.

Turning a corner, Catherine raised her pistol cautiously. Then, she saw one of the large crates shudder slightly, as if something inside were trying to get out. Catherine immediately realized who it was.

Running up to the crate, Catherine shouted, "Aisha, I need a hand over here!" Knocking on the side of the crate, Catherine said, "Ellet, is that you? Are you in there?"

Inside of the crate, Ellet tried to speak, but her mouth had been gagged and her wrists and ankles were bound by rope. She was struggling to loosen her restraints, but Damon's men had done their job well; the ropes wouldn't budge.

However, in her struggles, she had managed to loosen the cloth gagging her mouth. With an extra series of jaw movements, she finally managed to free her mouth from the cloth gag.

"H-Hey, who's there? Lemme outta here!" Ellet shouted.

"Ellet, its Catherine O'Hara! Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of there!"

"Catherine? Oh, am I ever glad to hear a friendly voice!"

"What are you doing in there?"

"A group of Damon's tank jockeys stuffed me in this thing!"

At that moment, Aisha skidded to a stop behind Catherine. Turning to the junior, Catherine said, "Aisha, get me that crowbar over there!"

Looking to the side, Aisha saw the crowbar and ran over to pick it up. When Aisha brought the crowbar back, Catherine took the heavy tool and attempted to pry open Ellet's crate with it.

"Don't worry, Ellet! You'll be out in no time!"

"Wait, Catherine, listen to me! Where's Marina?"

"Marina? She's out on patrol, why?"

"She's in trouble! The guys who stuffed me in here – General Damon sent them out to kill her!"

Horrified at this news, Catherine turned to Aisha and said, "Aisha, go find Captain Varrot and tell her what's happened! She has to warn Marina!"

Aisha immediately sped off toward the exit with Hans in tow. Meanwhile, Catherine began to hack away at the crate with the crowbar, wanting to get Ellet out as quickly as possible.

* * *

Sitting inside his personal tank, the Lupus, with his head sticking out of the turret hatch, Jaeger's eyes scanned through the various Imperial soldiers. Some of his best men were already gathered with him for their patrol, but he was still missing one man.

After a moment, Jaeger caught sight of him. Carrying his GSR-XXR, Cezary paced toward Jaeger's group. The sniper was now wearing a black Imperial uniform, though he had removed most of the armor plates, notably the chest rig. Since he technically wasn't an officer, however, Cezary had no rank emblem on his uniform.

Grinning, Jaeger said to Cezary, "I'll assume it fits, Mr. Regard?"

"You've been taking measurements of me when I'm sleeping?" Cezary asked sarcastically.

Chuckling, Jaeger answered, "If you were a woman, I'd have answered yes." This brought a few laughs from Jaeger's men.

Next to the Lupus, one of Jaeger's men said, "Sir, we're bringing the Gallian?"

"There are a few things he and I need to discuss, Sergeant. All I ask is that you work with him if we should run into trouble. Of course, you'll all have permission to shoot him in the back if he tries to abandon us."

Jaeger chuckled as he finished his sentence, leaving Cezary unsure whether or not the general was joking. He probably wasn't; desertion was a capital offence in the Empire.

Finishing his laugh, Jaeger said, "You're all ready then, Mr. Regard?"

"What's with the charity, Jaeger? Why go through all this trouble over my hide?"

Though his men didn't understand what Cezary was asking, Jaeger had been expecting this. Cezary, it seemed, wanted to get to the point.

"Why do you ask, Mr. Regard?"

"Pretty much everyone else here'd like to take a piss on my carcass, and I don't blame them. You, on the other hand, you're a general, and you're sticking your neck out for me. I wanna know what you're expecting to get out of all of this, because I seriously doubt it's loyalty you're after."

Jaeger's tone suddenly turned serious as he said, "You're sharper than you look, Mr. Regard. And you're right; my good graces aren't going to be without a price."

"So what is it you want?"

"Information."

"Huh?" Cezary hadn't expected this from Jaeger.

"You were once a member of Squad Seven. And by extension, you were once led by someone I've been quite interested in for some time."

Cezary caught on quickly. "Tch, you mean Gunther, right?"

Nodding, Jaeger said, "Precisely. Welkin Gunther, son of the late General Belgen Gunther. I'd like to know whatever you know about him."

"What's there to know? He's a nature freak and a dark-hair lover. A real pain in the ass if you get to know him."

"That's not quite what I had in mind, Mr. Regard. I was referring to his abilities as a leader. Knowing how he thinks and fights would give me a distinct advantage against him. You tell me whatever you can about his tactics, and I'll see about getting you a nice position as, say, a captain."

With a smirk, Cezary answered, "Is that it? Heh, alright. You got a deal."

"Good. Climb aboard. The rest of you, let's move out!"

Cezary climbed aboard the Lupus as Jaeger's men marched out of Ghirlandaio.

* * *

In one of the bedrooms of the lodge, Marina cautiously searched through a number of the Imperials' belongings. Most of it consisted of materials used for rifle maintenance and beer bottles. To her disappointment, Marina found nothing of real use. This outpost obviously hadn't been considered important by the Imperial command, or the personnel who manned it.

Looking out one of the rear windows, Marina was able to see Ghirlandaio in the distance, about two kilometers away. Peering through her sniper scope, Marina could barely see hundreds of Imperial soldiers working away at setting up the fort's defenses.

Entering another room, Marina saw Nadine in the middle of checking an Imperial's body for a pulse. The Darcsen slowly removed her hand as a saddened look appeared on her face; none of the Imperials they had fought had lived through the attack.

Marina walked over to Nadine and said, "If you're done with that, contact Lieutenant Gunther and give him our position."

"Wait, Marina," said Nadine. "I… I just want to apologize. You were right; I couldn't have saved that boy."

"…"

"I guess I just lashed out at you because I– we've all come to see you as a bit… well, heartless."

"…You wouldn't be completely wrong…"

"Huh?"

"In my position, I can't afford to show mercy to my enemies. Any enemy I allow to escape is one that could come back to kill us."

"I… I guess so. But that boy, he was dying. He couldn't have harmed us."

"…Do you know why I always aim for the head?"

"It's the surest way to take out an enemy, that's basic training."

"That's half of it. The other is so my enemy dies quickly, and so he doesn't even know he's dead until after the fact. My father taught me, as a hunter, never to make my prey suffer when it dies, but to end it for them in one stroke."

Nadine realized then why Marina had shot the boy. The realization came with another: Marina wasn't as merciless as she had once thought. In fact, she was quite the opposite; she was sparing each of her victims a slow, painful demise, by killing them instantly and decisively.

"I… I never knew that…"

"…You done with the guilt trip already? If so, radio Lieutenant Gunther and give him our position."

"R-Right."

As Nadine removed her radio and began adjusting its frequency, she and Marina heard Nancy shout, "Hey, Marina! There's a tank coming our way!"

"Don't worry! It's a friendly!" Montley added.

Hearing this, Marina found it odd that a tank would be this far out on its own. All of the Gallian armor was supposed to be back at the frontline base, preparing for the siege on Ghirlandaio. The patrols weren't even given motorcycles or jeeps for transportation.

As Marina pondered this, Nadine said over the radio, "Seven Actual, this is Seven Six, reporting in. We're about two klicks southwest of Ghirlandaio, at the crossroads leading to Dahlen and Egeln. We've captured an enemy lookout post at the crossroads, and are awaiting further instructions, over."

In her earpiece, Marina heard Welkin answer, "Understood, Seven Six. I'll have Seven Three meet you at your position. Hold until then. Over and out."

As the transmission ended, Marina decided to look out the window, down at the crossroads. Sure enough, a turquoise Gallian Heavy Tank was coming down the road toward the lodge. An emblem on the side showed it was part of the Regular Army; specifically, it was a tank from General Damon's armored regiment. Various scratches and scorch marks on the paint showed the crew had loads of experience.

The sight of the tank made Marina's eyes widen in shock, for its main cannon was pointed right at the lodge.

"Get down!"

Marina rushed away from the window as the tank fired. On the ground floor, Montley and Nancy could only stand numbly as the explosive shell struck the front wall and detonated.

At the same moment, inside the tank, Vargas watched as the lodge started to burn. Below him, Vargas' tank driver said, "Nice shot, boss. You get her?"

Peering through his visor, Vargas watched as a black-haired woman stumbled out of one of the destroyed rooms and into the hall.

"Nah," said Vargas. "She's still alive. Get another shell ready."

As Marina stumbled into the hall, her rifle drawn, Nadine shouted, "Marina, what's happening?"

"Downstairs, now!"

Marina took the lead as she and Nadine quickly rushed down the stairs. Cautiously turning toward the entrance, Marina saw the wall had been blown away. Flaming bits of wood and splinters littered the floor, intermixed with blood.

Nadine's expression turned to horror as she said, "Oh my God…"

Montley and Nancy both lay on the ground. Montley had taken two shrapnel pieces and a series of large splinters to his chest and neck. There was no doubt he had been killed instantly by the explosion.

Nancy, on the other hand, was bleeding from a gash on her forehead, and her round glasses had been cracked. Splinters dug into her left leg and arm, with a piece of shrapnel dug into her lower torso. Her eyes were wide open, and she was twitching violently. Frightened moans escaped her lips.

Immediately, Nadine rushed over to Nancy and grabbed the scout by her collar. As she did, she was forced to duck her head as a burst of machinegun fire streaked into the lodge. Nadine dragged Nancy back further, soon receiving assistance from Marina. The effort left a small trail of blood in Nancy's wake.

Upon pulling Nancy to the rear of the lodge, Nadine said to Nancy, "Nancy, can you hear me?" Holding a hand to Nancy's face, three fingers extended, she said, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Nancy didn't respond, continuing to convulse and whimper catatonically.

"…She's gone into shock… She needs a medic or she'll bleed to death."

Just as Marina finished her sentence, a loud boom signaled the tank's second shot. A large hole was blown in the left corner of the front of the lodge. The room above it came crashing down, lacking any support from below. Dust and smoke flooded the lodge.

Looking out at the burning front of the lodge, and at Montley's body, Nadine said, "Why are they firing at us? We're on the same side!"

Scowling, Marina said, "…I really pissed him off that much, huh?"

"Huh? What are you–"

Before Nadine could finish, the Gallian tank fired a third shell, striking the upper floor of the lodge. The Darcsen yelped as dust and burning floorboards tumbled down from above. To her relief, none of the debris landed on them.

Acting quickly, Marina said, "Get on that radio, now! I don't care who hears us!"

As Nadine scrambled to reactivate her long-range radio, Marina took a smoke canister off the engineer's belt and tossed it outside. Seconds later, grey clouds spewed out of the canister, enshrouding the lodge.

* * *

Rosie wiped the back of her hand against her forehead, rubbing sweat off her brow. Her group, consisting of herself, Cherry, Vyse, Aika and Fina had recently finished dealing with an eight-man Imperial patrol. Despite being outnumbered two-to-one, as Fina didn't really count as a combatant, her group had suffered no casualties, primarily thanks to Vyse and Aika.

Much to Rosie's surprise, Vyse had succeeded in taking out three members of the enemy patrol using a pair of cutlasses, which he had brought with him when he and Aika had first come to Gallia. Aika managed to defeat two others with a large, curved weapon, which she called a "boomerang". Rosie wasn't complaining, though; their unusual fighting skills had proven extremely helpful throughout the war, and so far they hadn't been killed using them.

At that moment, her crew was en-route to reinforce Marina's group, which had just captured a lookout post at a crossroad near Ghirlandaio. Though she knew she would somewhat appreciate Marina's company, she didn't see the sense in holding a position so far forward. Without significant reinforcements, the position could easily be overrun or destroyed, along with anyone still in it.

Just as she was contemplating this, Rosie's earpiece came alive.

"Mayday, mayday! This is Nadine! Is anyone out there? Mayday!"

"Nadine, what the hell's going on over there?"

"We're under attack! It's a tank from the Regular Army!"

"What?" The news that the tank was an allied one was startling, to say the least.

"It attacked us without warning! Montley's dead, and Nancy's in critical condition!"

"Hang on, we're on our way!"

"Hurry, Rosie! We can't hold out much–"

The signal suddenly died out, replaced by loud static.

Alarmed, Rosie shouted, "Nadine? Nadine, come in! Do you read me? Nadine! Dammit!" Turning to Cherry, Rosie said, "Cherry, you and Aika radio the boss and let him know what's going on, then catch up with us! Vyse, Fina, let's move!"

Sprinting off to the east, Rosie ran as quickly as she could with Vyse and Fina in tow. As she ran, Rosie worried that they would be too late to help Marina and Nadine.

* * *

Nadine looked in despair at her now damaged radio. Two pieces of shrapnel from a tank shell had punctured it. On one hand, she felt she was lucky to have not been hit herself; on the other hand, they were now cut off from any assistance. She would never be able to fix it in the field, if at all.

Looking over at Nancy, Nadine saw the girl was turning paler and paler by the second. She was bleeding to death, and now was having trouble breathing. Scrambling over to Nancy's side, Nadine pulled a Ragnaid capsule from her belt and activated it, administering the medicine to Nancy. It wouldn't save her on its own, but the engineer hoped it would slow the bleeding.

Beside her, Marina tried to peer through a cloud of grey and black smoke, trying to see the tank. It was too thick to see anything, but she knew the tank was still there, waiting for them to try and escape. Once they did, it would blow them away.

Marina regretted not having access to an antitank lance; she hadn't brought along any of Squad Seven's lancers since she wanted to move quietly. Now, that decision had turned into a costly one. Even though Nadine had grenades, they wouldn't do any good against the tank from the outside. Trying to get in close was out of the question; Marina guessed the tank crew had enough experience to know how to counter such a tactic, and would be expecting it.

There was only one real option: retreat. Easier said than done. On foot, even a heavier tank could outrun Marina's group, especially if they would have to transport Nancy. In addition, the tank had an excellent position to cut off their escape to the west or south. The only way out was to the northeast, toward Ghirlandaio. If they went that way, they ran the risk of encountering more Imperials.

Marina's thoughts were disturbed when she heard the lodge creak loudly. The support beams were clearly starting to fail; if they didn't evacuate the lodge, they would be buried alive. The fact that it hadn't collapsed already was a miracle.

Marina scurried over to the back door of the lodge and swung it open. Turning to Nadine, she said, "Out the back! Now!"

Not wasting time, Nadine wrapped her arms around Nancy and began dragging her out of the lodge. As she got outside, another shell hit the lodge, causing an eruption of splinters from the roof. The lodge's creaking turned to loud cracking noises.

The two Sevens dragged Nancy away as the lodge came crashing down. Dust and flaming bits of wood were sent flying in all directions. Any that struck the Gallian tank bounced off harmlessly.

Inside his tank, Vargas whistled as he said, "Ain't that just beautiful?"

"No way Wulfstan survived that," said one of Vargas' crewmates.

"Take us up there. The general said to make absolutely sure she's dead, and I plan to make sure she is."

Behind the now-ruined lodge, Marina was left choking on dust and smoke, as was Nadine. Marina, however, kept her rifle ready; the crew of the tank would surely check to see if she had died.

Then, she heard Nadine shout, "Marina, over here!"

Turning, Marina saw that Nadine had laid Nancy down next to an old Imperial halftrack, which had been stored away in a camouflaged shed. The halftrack, however, looked extremely old and worn from use. It likely wouldn't take anyone very far, or very fast. Its condition was probably why the Imperial garrison hadn't used it.

As Marina rushed over to her, Nadine said, "Maybe we can get away in this."

"…"

Marina took a moment to mull over her options. The halftrack barely looked functional, and by reputation they weren't that fast, sacrificing speed for thick armor. Even a heavyweight tank wouldn't have too much trouble catching the halftrack. Fighting was also out of the question; the halftrack only had a light machinegun as a weapon, meant for infantry. It would have no effect on a well-armored tank.

There was also another issue: Nancy. The halftrack was sure to be a much more violent ride in comparison to a military ambulance. With the injuries she had sustained, she was just as likely to die from riding in the halftrack as to the Gallian tank.

In any case, Marina suspected the Gallian tank crew was only after her. Nadine, Nancy and Montley were just in the crossfire. General Damon, it seemed, was serious with his death threats this time around.

Coming to a decision, Marina walked over to Nadine and said, "Give me your smoke grenades."

Confused, Nadine removed the smoke canisters from her belt as she said, "Huh? What are you gonna do with those?"

Taking the grenades, Marina added, "Move Nancy into those bushes and stay out of sight."

"Marina, what are you–" To Nadine's shock, she saw Marina pull open the driver-side door of the halftrack. "No, don't you dare! That's suicide!"

"Those guys are after me. I'll draw them away. Once you're clear, find the others and tell them what happened. Keep Dufour alive until help arrives."

"No, you can't do this! You'll die!"

In a louder tone, Marina snapped, "That's an order, Corporal. Now get out of here!"

Nadine flinched as Marina nearly shouted her order. She clearly knew what she was getting herself into. To Nadine, it was beyond crazy.

As Marina dropped her GSR and the smoke canisters into the passenger's seat and climbed in, Nadine saw there would be no stopping her. Cursing herself, Nadine wrapped her arms around Nancy and carried her out of the shed, running as quickly as she could into the nearby woods.

Inside the halftrack, Marina checked the wheel. To her fortune, one of the Imperials had left the keys in the ignition. Turning the key, Marina heard the halftrack sputter as its engine stalled. Frustrated, Marina tried it again. Again, the engine stalled.

She turned the key a third time, stepping on the gas pedal as she did. The engine roared to life, followed by a loud chugging sound. It was in bad condition, but it would have to do.

Inside his tank, Vargas peered through the wreckage of the lodge. He could see a few Imperial bodies, but no sign of his target. His gut told him, however, that she was still alive.

Then, to his surprise, Vargas saw a vehicle drive out from the trees, or rather a small shed that had been camouflaged. It was an Imperial halftrack, barely functional, and with a black-haired woman in the driver's seat.

Vargas smirked. Marina was more resourceful than he'd anticipated. But now she was fighting on his terms, and to his advantage. The halftrack's armor wouldn't last long against his tank's cannon.

"Bad choice, Wulfstan," said Vargas. Then, shouting to his crewmates, he said, "Let's run her down, boys!"

Eager laughter filled the tank as it rolled after the lumbering halftrack. The tank's cannon blared as it fired a shot. The round passed behind the halftrack, not having been aimed properly.

Attempting to throw off the tank's aim, Marina swerved onto the road and sent the halftrack rolling down. The vehicle, to her prior worry, was indeed slow. She wouldn't be able to dodge tank shells or outrun the tank for long. She hoped she wouldn't need to.

From her hiding spot in the bushes, Nadine watched as the halftrack sped down the road toward Ghirlandaio, with the Gallian tank in close pursuit.

* * *

Welkin's expression was one of complete shock. Mere seconds ago, Cherry and Aika had radioed a message to him from Marina: a Gallian tank from the Regular Army had opened fire on her team. Already she had lost one man, Montley, while Nancy had been critically injured. And worst of all, radio contact with her had been lost.

The news chilled him to the bone. What could have provoked the Regulars into attempting to murder one of Gallia's best snipers? The Regulars despised the militia, for sure, but this was going too far, even for them.

In a professional manner, Welkin said, "Aika, Cherry, regroup with Rosie as fast as you can. I'll send the other groups to assist you as soon as possible."

Over the radio, the two scouts said, "Yes sir!" The transmission then cut off.

Just as Kreis was about to alter the radio's frequency, however, Captain Varrot entered the room. She was accompanied by Catherine, Aisha and Ellet, the latter who looked as though she had been buried alive.

"Lieutenant Gunther, we have a serious problem," said Varrot.

"You don't know the half of it, Captain," said Welkin. "I just got a message from Rosie that a tank from the Regular Army opened fire on Marina and her team."

"What?" The news was a shock to everyone in the radio station.

"What happened? Where is she? Is she alright?" demanded Catherine, her voice fast and panicky.

"I don't know, Catherine. We haven't been able to contact Marina's team for about ten minutes now."

Catherine was left petrified in terror. "No no no no…"

In her panic, Catherine backed up to a wall and slumped to the ground, murmuring in fear. Aisha knelt down to try and reassure Catherine that everything would be alright, but it didn't help much.

As this was going on, Ellet said, "Lieutenant Gunther, you have no idea how bad this really is."

"What do you mean? And Ellet, what happened to you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Listen, last night I was spying on General Damon. He was meeting with one of his tank crews. Damon gave them an order to assassinate Marina!"

"What? Are you serious?"

As Welkin said this, Ellet produced an audio cassette from her pocket and handed it to him.

"I recorded the whole meeting on this tape. Damon's flunkies caught me and thought they destroyed the evidence. Good thing I gave them the old switcheroo; all they broke was a blank."

Welkin stared at the cassette in his hand. It took all his willpower to keep himself from crushing the tape in his hand. Damon had gone too far this time.

Then, Welkin said, "Kreis, get in contact with all our teams!"

"I'm on it, sir!"

"I've dispatched a group from Squad Four to assist your men, but it will take some time for them to reach their position," said Varrot.

Though Welkin showed Varrot he was thankful, he kept his attention focused on the radio, and his mind stayed centered on Damon's conspiracy. He hoped he wouldn't be too late to save Marina.

* * *

The halftrack swerved around a corner as a tank shell glanced its rear. Not having hit at a correct angle, the tank shell ricocheted off and crashed in the woods. The impact, however, shook the wheel in Marina's hands, forcing her to compensate for the shock.

Glancing at her mirror, Marina could see the Gallian tank coming in behind her, already rotating its turret for another shot. She only had a few more seconds before the crew reloaded. Worse, she was on an approximate 100 meter stretch of road with little room to maneuver. The tank had an easy shot.

Reaching over, Marina grasped one of the smoke canisters and, using only one hand, pulled the pin. As smoke began to hiss out of the canister, she tossed it out of the side window. The canister landed behind the halftrack, creating a cloud of smoke.

With smoke blocking his view of the halftrack, Vargas scowled slightly. Marina's tactic was basic, but effective enough to throw off his aim. Still, he knew that Marina couldn't have moved very much in the narrow strait. Moving the cannon upwards, Vargas fired another shell.

The projectile whistled over the halftrack, impacting on the road about ten meters ahead and creating a small crater. The halftrack's treads easily rolled over the crater, only slowed down marginally.

Checking her mirror again, Marina watched as the tank steamed through the smoke cloud. Looking ahead, Marina saw that she was coming out of the narrow stretch. To her left, a grassy hill rolled upward next to the road. To the right was an open field, only marred by the remains of a tank beside the road. She now had room to maneuver.

Marina spun the wheel clockwise, causing the halftrack to lurch to the right. A second later, Marina realized she had made a terrible mistake. The ruined tank had been destroyed from the bottom up. That could only mean one thing. Marina spun the wheel hard to the left, but it was too late.

The halftrack buckled as it ran over a landmine. The right tire was blown to scrap, while the explosion threw Marina around in the driver's seat, causing her to hit her head on the dashboard. Adrenaline kept Marina from blacking out. The halftrack's armor had kept any shrapnel from hitting her, but a fire had now started in the engine.

Regaining her senses, Marina saw that the halftrack was now barreling out of control toward the ruined tank. Despite her best effort, the steering wheel failed to turn the halftrack. Marina slammed her foot on the brakes, but nothing happened. Unable to stop or steer, all Marina could do was brace for the impact.

The crash occurred quickly, yet the results were devastating.

* * *

Nadine knelt over Nancy's body, holding a blood-soaked cloth to one of her wounds. She had run out of Ragnaid, yet Nancy continued to bleed rapidly. The girl also continued to whimper from shock, now short of breath and barely moving. She was going to bleed to death at such a rate.

"Come on, Nancy!" Nadine said in fright. "Don't die on me!"

Nancy didn't respond to this, only continuing to whimper incoherently. Then, to Nadine's horror, she suddenly went silent, and her shaking stopped.

"Nancy? Nancy, NO!"

"Nadine! Nadine!" shouted a familiar voice.

To her relief, Nadine saw Rosie, Vyse, Aika, Cherry and Fina rushing up toward her. Fina made it up the hill the fastest and quickly set her med-kit down next to Nancy.

"Move over! Let me through!" Fina said rapidly, checking Nancy's pulse.

"Fina, please! You have to help her!"

"Aika, get me a blood pack and a Ragnaid capsule! Vyse, hold these over her wounds or she'll bleed to death!"

Aika immediately rummaged through Fina's med-kit for the requested items. As she did, Rosie said to Nadine, "Where's Marina? And where's the tank?"

"We found a halftrack in that shed. I tried to stop her, but–"

Realizing what Marina had done, Rosie stared down the road in disbelief. Sure enough, there were fresh tracks from two treaded vehicles, one set larger than the other.

"That idiot…!"

"Whoaaa… She's nuts," added Cherry. "I mean, does she even know how to drive?"

"Radio the boss. We need to let him know what's going on."

Cherry immediately went to work setting down her radio. But as she was resetting its frequency, loud static came from it. Someone was trying to contact them. Cherry immediately adjusted the radio, making the signal come in clear.

"Rosie? Do you copy? Rosie, please respond!" said Welkin.

Grabbing the phone attachment on the long-range radio, Rosie answered, "I hear ya, boss. We found Nadine and Nancy, but Marina's not here."

"Where is she?"

"Wish I knew. Nadine says she led the tank away in an Imperial halftrack."

"Rosie, listen carefully. Ellet and Captain Varrot just informed me that the Regulars in that tank were given orders by General Damon to kill Marina. You have to find her as soon as possible!"

"What do we do about that tank?"

"I don't care if they are friendlies. You're to treat them as hostile."

"Right. And the general?"

"Let me and Captain Varrot worry about that. Right now, your top priority is to find Marina and get her back to base in one piece. Understand?"

"I'm on it, boss. Rosie out." Rosie set the phone attachment back on the radio.

At that moment, Fina suddenly cried, "No, I'm losing her!"

Rosie turned to see that Fina was now in the process of removing Nancy's uniform and undershirt. The look on her face was one of fright as she placed her hands on Nancy's chest and began to compress it.

After several rounds of compressions, Fina quickly reached into her med-kit and pulled out a syringe and a small bottle of clear liquid. Filling the syringe, she then proceeded to inject its contents directly into Nancy's chest.

To Rosie's surprise, the results were almost instantaneous. Nancy made a loud gasp as she convulsed wildly, forcing Vyse and Aika to hold her down. Nadine quickly joined in helping them as Nancy began to wheeze loudly. Fina then activated one of her Ragnaid capsules, administering it directly to Nancy's chest.

"Whoa… Fina, what is that stuff?" asked Vyse.

"It's called epinephrine. It'll boost her heart rate for a bit, hopefully long enough for me to stabilize her."

"How come you've never used that stuff before?"

"Epinephrine is extremely dangerous. It's just as likely to kill you as it will save you. Medics are only supposed to use it as a last resort. Besides, it has some really nasty side effects."

"Talk to me, Fina," said Rosie. "Is she gonna make it?"

"As long as I can replace the blood Nancy's lost, she'll live for now. But she's gonna need a real doctor."

"Good. Vyse, Aika, stay here and help Fina and Nadine. Cherry, come on. We gotta find Marina."

"Right behind ya, Rosie."

Rosie and Cherry dashed off down the dirt road.

* * *

Inside the driver's seat, Marina choked on the smoke and fire that had begun to flood the insides of the halftrack. The heat was making it almost impossible to breathe. If the Gallian tank didn't kill her, the flames would burn her alive if they didn't detonate the gas tank. In any case, she didn't have much time.

Marina moved onto her back and began kicking away at the door. The crash had caused the door to jam, but it had also become loose on its hinges. With each kick, Marina felt the door begin to break away. With a fifth kick, the door was ripped from its hinges and crashed to the ground. Grabbing her rifle, Marina scrambled out of the vehicle.

As her feet touched solid ground, Marina saw that Vargas' tank had come out of the woods, and now had a good angle of attack. She instinctively dashed away from the halftrack as the tank's cannon fired. An explosive round hit the halftrack, creating a blast of fire and metal as the vehicle was blown apart. Marina yelped as the force of the blast sent her tumbling onto the road.

Dazed, Marina tried to stand. A trickle of blood had run down her face. No sound came to her ears, drowned out by a high-pitched whine. Her head was spinning, and her body ached, but she was still in one piece. Sound began to return to her ears as the shock passed. The first things she could hear were the crackle of flames, and the oncoming roar of a tank's engine.

Re-realizing her situation, Marina quickly pushed herself to her feet. To her dismay, she had dropped her rifle, which was now about four meters away from her.

Worse, Marina turned to see Vargas' tank had already trained its cannon on her.

"…"

Inside the tank, Vargas grinned as he watched Marina draw her pistol, knowing the effort would be futile. He then said, "End of the line, Wulfstan."

Marina refused to flinch as she awaited the final shot. She raised her pistol to the tank.

A loud boom sounded. It was followed by a burst of fire and metal from the right side of the Gallian tank as a hole was blown in its plating.

Recovering from the shockwave, Marina turned and saw that her savior wasn't exactly what she had expected. Taking advantage of the surprise attack, she scrambled over to her rifle and snatched it up.

Inside the tank, Vargas groaned as the shock of the impact passed. Looking down, he saw that one of his crewmates had taken a piece of shrapnel to his neck—he was bleeding out. Grimacing, Vargas rotated the turret of the tank toward the source of the shot and peered through the visor.

"I-Imperial tank! 2 O'clock!"

About fifty meters away from Vargas' tank stood an unusual black-and-crimson tank, which looked more like a mobile cannon. The main gun was enormous, and its armor was sloped like the Edelweiss', only not quite as curved.

Marina looked on in mute surprise. She had seen this tank, the Lupus, before in the Kloden Wildwoods. It was Major General Radi Jaeger's personal tank destroyer.

Inside, Jaeger kept his visor focused on the Gallian tank. Though he hadn't actually expected to get into combat with a lone tank on the patrol, he was making the most of the situation. He found it odd, though, that the tank was attacking another Gallian soldier: a lithe woman with short black hair and pale white skin, carrying a long sniper rifle. She wore the uniform of a militia soldier, having few remaining armor plates. A patch on her shoulder showed she was a sergeant.

Most interestingly, she unmistakably matched the description of a Gallian hero who had, supposedly, lost her life at Naggiar. Clearly, the rumors were false.

Deciding to mull over the details later, Jaeger turned his attention back to the Gallian tank, which was now aiming its cannon at the Lupus. Jaeger wasn't worried; despite the Gallian tank's firepower, it stood no chance against him.

Looking down at his driver, Jaeger said, "Hold her steady. They'll soon realize we have the upper hand."

Inside the wounded Gallian tank, Vargas snarled as he shouted, "Fire!"

An explosive round careened out of the Gallian tank's cannon. To Vargas' shock, the round glanced off the side of the Lupus' armor, flying into a tall tree behind it and detonating on impact. The Lupus had taken no damage besides a paint scratch.

Now panicking, Vargas shouted, "Forward, full speed! Now!"

The tank barely began to roll before the Lupus fired again, sending a high-explosive round into the tank's treads. Metal screeched as the Gallian tank grinded to a halt, unable to move. From where she stood, Marina was knocked back slightly from the force of the explosion, though she stayed standing.

"Boss, I can't move her!" shouted the tank driver. "We're sittin' ducks!"

As the third crewmate began to try and force open the lower hatch of the tank, Vargas looked in horror as more than ten Imperial soldiers sprung up from behind cover, and advanced on the tank. Then, Vargas watched as the Lupus directed its cannon at him and his crew.

Just as Vargas shouted "Everybody out!" the Lupus fired a third round. The high-explosive round penetrated through to the innards of the Gallian tank, swallowing up Vargas and his crew in a wave of flame. Then, a second explosion burst from the tank as its ammunition was set off, blowing its turret clear off the lower half. As fire and smog bellowed out of the ruined tank, its turret crashed to the ground unceremoniously.

Marina watched for a moment as the tank burned, but then realized that she now was in the presence of at least a dozen Imperial elites. Still holding her rifle, she raised her Colt at the closest approaching Imperial. She intended to fight to the death.

Then, all of a sudden, a bullet struck her pistol, causing Marina to yelp as the gun was blown out of her hand. As the gun clattered to the ground, Marina grimaced as the Imperial elites began to surround her. She instinctively raised her GSR, quickly shifting between targets in an attempt to fend off a melee attack. Her eyes narrowed.

To Marina's surprise, none of the Imperial elites fired, simply choosing to surround her instead. A few seconds later, Marina turned to see the Lupus rolling toward her. The Imperial tank destroyer stopped a few meters in front of her.

The hatch of the Lupus' turret swung open as Jaeger stood up. Marina directed her rifle at him, watching cautiously as the Imperial general leapt to the ground. Jaeger's movements seemed casual to her; it was as if he did such a thing on a daily basis.

With a grin, Jaeger strode toward Marina and said, "Well, well, isn't this an unexpected pleasure? The infamous Marina Wulfstan, I presume?"

"…"

Continuing to stride toward her, Jaeger added, "I've heard a lot about you, Miss Wulfstan, though I must admit I hadn't actually expected to ever meet you in person. Reports said you were dead, after all."

As Jaeger neared her, Marina almost thrust the barrel of her rifle into his nose. The Imperial elites reacted immediately as multiple rifle cocks were heard. Marina's move was enough to stop Jaeger, though he retained his confident expression.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Jaeger pushed the barrel of Marina's rifle away as he said this.

Taking a step back, Marina took aim again as she said, "Not much to say, except that you should've stayed in your tank."

"You intend to take me with you, is that it? Where's the sense in that when I'm willing to let you live, provided you drop your weapon?"

"…"

"Do us both a favor, Miss Wulfstan. After all, I did just save your life."

Something about Jaeger's words seemed genuine to Marina. He didn't seem to necessarily want her dead. If he had, he probably would've just stayed inside his tank and finished her off. Still, a part of Marina told her not to give in to his request.

Jaeger made a short grin as Marina's rifle clattered to the ground. Then, in a lightning fast movement, Marina drew a combat knife from her belt and swung it at Jaeger. To her shock, he caught her wrist and jerked the blade aside. Then, in an instant, Marina found herself trapped in Jaeger's grip, her knife on the ground and her right arm pressed against her back.

"I've had more women try to stick a knife in me than you'd believe," said Jaeger.

"…"

Marina smashed the back of her head into Jaeger's chin, stunning him and causing him to release his grip on her. As a sharp sting rushed through her head, Marina stumbled forward, but quickly recovered. Turning to the Imperial general, Marina saw his lip was bleeding slightly. Jaeger rubbed off a small amount of blood with an amused smile.

With a laugh, Jaeger said, "You were right. She's quite a fighter."

Marina quickly found out who Jaeger was talking to. Scowling, Marina watched as Cezary appeared from behind the Lupus and walked toward her with a smirk on his face.

"…Thought I smelled a rat…"

"Nice seeing you too, Wulfstan," Cezary sneered.

"…How'd you get someone like him to trust a traitor like you?"

"That's simple," said Jaeger. "We have a good deal in common."

Marina didn't understand what Jaeger meant. Regardless, she felt it was unimportant.

Gesturing to his men, Jaeger said, "Take her into custody."

Turning to Jaeger, Cezary said, "All due respect, but if you want my opinion, I say you should kill her now while you have the chance. Better yet, allow me."

Cezary drew a pistol and placed the barrel right at Marina's forehead. Marina chose to stare back at him defiantly, not afraid to die.

But to her surprise, Jaeger pulled Cezary's gun away from her and said, "We'll be taking Miss Wulfstan back to headquarters, alive and unharmed, Mr. Regard."

"What?"

"Be patient, Mr. Regard. Rest assured you'll have your chance to finish your little vendetta. But being Gallia's top sniper, her capture will surely inspire our men."

"Tch…"

"Do you have a problem with my orders?"

After a short pause, Cezary uttered through his teeth, "No."

"Good." As he walked back toward the Lupus, Jaeger added, "Take her away!"

Two shock troopers moved in to restrain Marina, who wisely decided not to fight back. She knew she had no chance of escape at the moment. She chose instead to glare at Cezary in contempt.

But before the Imperial soldiers reached her, Cezary unexpectedly swung a punch to Marina's cheek, knocking her to the ground. Lying on the dirt road, Marina winced as she tasted blood.

Turning back quickly, Jaeger watched Cezary as he walked past him. As he did, Cezary said, "One for the road, sir."

"Fair enough."

Jaeger climbed back into the Lupus as two of his men hauled Marina to her feet. A third soldier gathered up Marina's weapons.

But as she was led away at gunpoint, the Imperials failed to notice a small piece of metal drop from her hand.

* * *

Coming over a hill, Rosie was met by a disturbing sight. The wreckage of a Gallian tank littered the road, accompanied by a burning halftrack. Dozens of fresh tracks led in and out of the area, one set which was of a tank's treads. Marina was nowhere to be found, dead or alive.

Cherry followed Rosie down to the road to inspect the wreckage. "Whoaaa… talk about road kill."

For a minute, Rosie and Cherry searched through the wreckage, but found nothing. Then, Rosie spotted something on the ground, giving off a glint of what remaining sunlight was available.

As Rosie went over to inspect the object, Cherry said, "Hey Rosie, what'cha find?"

Rosie scooped up the small object with a look of dismay on her face. It was a pair of dog tags with the name "Marina Wulfstan" embedded on them.

"Cherry, radio," Rosie said.

Kneeling down next to Rosie, Cherry handed her long-range radio's phone to her. Cherry made a quick adjustment, patching in to Squad Seven's frequency.

"Boss, this is Rosie."

"Rosie, have you found Marina?"

"No… But I found her tags."

Welkin made a concerned sigh, but then said, "Have you found anything else?"

"Nada, boss. Not even a body, besides the guys in the tank."

After a short pause, Welkin said, "Rosie, tell me everything you can about the scene."

A few minutes passed as Rosie did her best to explain every detail of the scene. Welkin was left with a great deal to consider: the wreckage of the Gallian tank and the halftrack, the presence of Imperial footprints and tank tracks, a curious lack of any stray bullets or spent cartridges and, perhaps most importantly, no bodies besides those of Vargas and his tank crew. There wasn't even a blood trail to suggest Marina had been wounded. The only indicators of her presence were the destroyed vehicles and her tags.

After pondering the facts, Welkin said, "Rosie, you and your team are to return to base for now."

This order was met with confusion by Rosie and Cherry. Rosie then said in disbelief, "What? But we haven't found her yet! Marina could still be out here!"

"Judging by what you've found, I'm guessing that the Imperials have taken her as a prisoner. If that's so, there's nothing we can do for her right now. I need you all back at base to prepare for the siege tomorrow."

"So we're just gonna ditch her?" asked Cherry.

"I didn't say that, Cherry. All I'm saying is that I don't want to lose the two of you as well in a rescue attempt, and I don't think Marina would want you doing that for her anyways. Don't worry; if the Imperials have Marina, we'll get her back. But if we're to do that, we'll need to do it during the siege."

Begrudgingly agreeing with Welkin's point of view, Rosie placed Marina's tags into her satchel. She then said, "Come on, Cherry. Let's get going."

Reluctantly, the two Sevens began to make their way out of the area.

**End of Chapter 7**

Well, that's not good, huh? Marina's in for it now...

For sure, next chapter is the siege of Ghirlandaio. But that's surely gonna take a while, as unless I put most of my focus into university work, I'll end up being mutilated by it.

Please leave a review. They're always appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

OH. MY. GAWD. THAT. TOOK. FOREVER.

I must caution you: set aside at least a whole hour before reading this chapter. It's extremely long, but the Siege of Ghirlandaio is practically a story in its own right. There was so much fine-tuning I had to do in so many different places, so forgive me if you find some big mistakes. In Microsoft Word, this takes up 70 (count them: **70**) pages, and counts up at over 25000 words! As you can guess, that's a lot of time I spent writing.

Enough. I've kept this from you, my audience, for too long. I give you Chapter 8.

**_MERRY CHRISTMAS!_**

**Chapter 8: Of Ghosts and Valkyrur**

The mood in Squad Seven's barracks was universally irate. News of the attempt on Marina Wulfstan's life—as well as her disappearance—had spread rapidly through its members, and a few members had leaked small bits of information to other militia soldiers as well.

Standing before the squad, Captain Varrot and Welkin were busy explaining the details of the earlier events to the Sevens as best they could. No further evidence besides Rosie and Cherry's findings turned up that contradicted the assumption that Marina was captured. To make things worse, Nancy, though alive and in stable condition, was now in a coma. The doctors were unsure whether or not she would ever awaken from it, much to Ted and Emile's dismay. Montley's death had come as a shock, especially to Jann, though Herbert, in his usual laziness, didn't show remorse for what had happened.

None of the Sevens were taking the news well, especially Catherine.

"I can't believe the general would go this far," said Claudia.

"And here I thought he had a shred of decency in him," added Knute. "Seems I was wrong."

"You're damn right, you're wrong!" said Catherine. "I know the man: he'd use his own mother as a shield if it meant saving his skin!"

"Catherine, please! Settle down," said Varrot. "I know this news has come as an outrage to all of you. I share your sentiments, and I assure you that measures will be taken to see that General Damon is brought to justice."

"Great, so who gets to kill him?" asked Jane, hoping she would be picked.

"No one. And I find your very suggestion appalling, Corporal Turner."

The Sevens were left fuming. They couldn't understand why Varrot was keeping them from exacting justice against General Damon for his crime.

"Everyone, please! Take it easy!" Welkin shouted.

His words went unheeded. The Sevens continued to voice rabble on and complain.

"Quiet!" Largo roared loudly.

Almost immediately, the Sevens piped down.

"Thank you, Largo," said Varrot. Then, turning back to the Sevens, she said, "I understand you all feel the need to exact revenge on the general immediately, but you must also understand that, in a sense, the Gallian Army needs him for the siege on Ghirlandaio tomorrow. If he were to be killed, it could derail the entire operation. We cannot afford to let that happen while the Imperial Army is still in Gallia."

The Sevens mumbled loudly in discontent to Varrot's words. Catherine, among them, was infuriated. Eleanor did have a valid point, but she was again letting Damon off the hook for his crimes. He had to pay!

"Everyone, listen," said Welkin. "I know you probably disagree with Captain Varrot's say on this, but I for one agree with her. Taking Damon out right now would only create more problems for us. But we promise you: once the Imperials have been driven out of Gallia, Captain Varrot and I plan to present our evidence directly to Princess Cordelia. So I don't want anyone jeopardizing our case by attacking the general. We don't want to give him another advantage over us."

Again, the Sevens were left mumbling, though there were quite a few who now agreed with the plan. Catherine, however, did not. She knew that bringing Damon to trial wouldn't amount to much in the long run.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Varrot. "I will keep the recording safe in my office. Until then, you and your squad are to avoid any confrontations with General Damon or his staff. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"One other thing: since your squad is currently shorthanded, I've had two men from Squad Five reassigned to your command, as well as one of the newer recruits." Then, hearing a knock on the door, she said, "Enter."

The door to the barracks swung open as three soldiers entered. One was a pale, yet large man with oddly-fashioned blond hair, wearing a lancer's armor. His rank was a Private. The other two, however, were people the Sevens quickly recognized. One was a young Darcsen boy with spiky hair, while the other was a tall, grey-haired sniper with a gaunt, somewhat handsome face.

"Mintz? Julius?" said Welkin, surprised to see the former Sevens.

"Hi, everyone! It's been a while!" said Mintz.

"Mintz! Oh, it's so good to see you!" Nadine said as she ran up to Mintz and hugged the young Darcsen engineer.

As several of the other Sevens went to greet Mintz, Julius strode past the crowd and stood before Welkin in a salute.

"Lance Corporal Julius Klotz, reporting for duty, Lieutenant Gunther," said Julius.

"At ease," said Welkin. "It's good to see you back, Julius. Mintz too."

"Likewise, sir. I'll do whatever I can to help in Wulfstan's absence."

"Hey, Gunther!" said the new recruit, a lancer. "Theold Bohr here. Remember the name."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Welcome aboard, Theold."

"Yeah, yeah. Can the niceties."

As Theold walked away, turning his bad attitude toward some of the others, Welkin watched him in perplexed confusion. It didn't take long for Theold to start boasting to the others on how important he would be in the siege.

Scoffing, Largo said, "Typical glory hog. Where'd you find him, Elle?"

"I apologize if Private Bohr's behavior is… undesirable, but we are somewhat short on available men and I had to pick from what was left. He was certainly not my first choice, but despite his attitude, Private Bohr is a competent lancer."

"Beggars can't be choosers, Captain," said Welkin. "We'll work with what we've got. And thank you for bringing back Mintz and Julius. I know I can count on them."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. If you will excuse me…"

Varrot walked to the door and into the hallway. Then, a few seconds later, she stopped upon hearing Catherine say, "Same old plan, Elle? Just let the general get away with what he's doing?"

Turning to face Catherine, Varrot said, "Catherine, unlike with what happened to Pamela and Frederick, I am not about to turn a blind eye to General Damon this time. As soon as we have ended this war, I will expose his actions."

"And how far do you think a conviction's going to go? You and I both know that Damon and Borg are old pals! Damon will never see court because of him!"

"I know that Prime Minister Borg is an obstacle, but that is exactly why I plan to give Princess Cordelia the evidence directly."

"Oh, and that will make things SO much better!" Catherine said sarcastically. "Elle, Cordelia's not the one in power at the capital! What good do you think she'll be able to do?"

Calmly, Varrot answered, "As much as she can. She is Gallia's sovereign ruler, after all."

"In two years, maybe! Right now, she's little better than a puppet! Elle, we can't win this by playing Damon's game, and you've been playing it since day one!"

Now becoming somewhat cross, Varrot said, "That is because, unlike you, Catherine, I wish to do things in a lawful manner."

"To hell with that! Laws are made by those in power, and they can bend them however they please! You keep doing things "lawfully", and sooner or later it'll be you who Damon kills next!"

"Catherine–"

"NO, Elle! I'm sick of you always trying to compromise! This isn't about doing things by-the-book anymore! Justice isn't gonna prevail because you follow some damn procedure to the letter! The only way Damon's gonna face justice is if we do things our own way!"

Stunned, Varrot asked, "Catherine O'Hara, are you listening to yourself?"

In an icy tone of anger, Catherine answered, "YES! And I mean every bit of it. He's gone too far too many times now, and I say he should pay the price for it!"

Catherine stormed away from Varrot, who could only watch as her old friend left. Varrot worried that Catherine was going to do something she would regret.

And unbeknownst to her or anyone from Squad Seven, an officer from the Regular Army slowly snuck out of the barracks.

* * *

The echo of water dropping into a small puddle periodically rang through the lowest level of Ghirlandaio. The level itself was damp and extremely unsanitary, though the Imperials made no effort to clean the place. They really had no need to; Ghirlandaio's lowest level was home to its dungeon.

In one room of the dungeons, a guard sat at an old wooden table on an equally old wooden chair. The soldier was sleeping due to boredom toward his duty of guarding what his superiors had told him was a very dangerous prisoner. She didn't look dangerous.

Just then, two more Imperial soldiers came down a flight of stairs and entered the chamber. One was carrying a ZM MP 5, while the other had a tray of food consisting of a stale loaf of bread and leftover stew. The stew already looked as though it had gone cold.

The two Imperials soon reached their destination, the fourth cell in a row of five. The first Imperial looked inside the cell and said, "Hey, prisoner, meal time."

Inside the cell, Marina took a short look at the door. She'd only been in the cell for less than a day, so she hadn't really gotten settled in by now. Not that she intended to stay for very long, but so far she hadn't found a good chance to escape. After all, Ghirlandaio itself was still crawling with Imperial soldiers; escape was pretty much impossible at the time.

Deciding she had to keep her strength up, Marina slowly got up and walked to the door of her cell. She stood before the door for a moment, but the guards did nothing.

"…I'm waiting…"

"Nuh-uh, Ghostie," said the Imperial. "You aren't getting a crumb unless we see you beg like the dog you are!"

The Imperial's counterpart laughed and said, "Come on, Wulfie, beg for your dog food!" Both Imperials laughed at this insult.

"…"

Marina had expected something like this would happen. The Imperials wanted her to break in the prison, so that her eventual death would be that much more inspiring to the Imperial Army. Marina, however, wasn't about to play their game.

Turning away from the door, Marina walked back toward a bed in the back of the room, intending to get some more rest. This action clearly angered the Imperials.

"Hey, get back here, you stinking Gallian _blyat_!" said the first Imperial.

When Marina ignored them, the first Imperial stomped over to the guard's desk and took hold of a ring of keys. Selecting the key to Marina's cell, he used it to unlock and wrench open the iron door.

As both Imperials stepped in, the first one said, "You're going to beg for us, and you're going to do it now!"

With his last word, the Imperial grasped the stale loaf of bread and tossed it, hitting Marina's right shoulder. Marina felt it, but ignored the hit, knowing they were trying to get on her nerves.

"Hey, maybe she's not hungry," said the second Imperial in a lecherous tone, putting down his ZM MP 5. "Maybe she wants something else, heh heh."

Realizing what his comrade meant, the first Imperial snickered as he set the food tray on the ground. The two then advanced on Marina.

Marina scowled as she heard their sniggering and turned to face them. They intended to take advantage of her predicament for their own perverse pleasures. Yet she had also anticipated this, and already knew how to deal with it.

The first Imperial reached out at Marina. In a quick movement, Marina grabbed the man's shoulders and swung a knee into his groin. The soldier recoiled in pain as Marina shoved him away. The second Imperial, reacting to this, tried to punch Marina. Marina countered by knocking the strike away, grabbing the man's arm, and twisting it harshly. The soldier screamed in pain, but stopped as Marina released him and struck him in the head with a fist. He fell to the ground, moaning as his body cringed.

It was at this moment that Marina heard shouts coming down into the dungeon. The other guards had heard the struggle, and she wasn't as eager to fight them. She turned away from the door just as two guards with submachine guns showed up.

"Hands up, now!" shouted one of the guards.

Marina didn't listen, but instead walked casually to her bed and sat down on it. It was enough to show she wasn't trying to escape; the guards didn't shoot her.

A few seconds later, an officer ran up behind the two guards. Looking at the two wounded soldiers, then at Marina, he said, "What the hell is going on here?"

"…Ask those two… they need to learn to keep their hands to themselves…"

The officer realized what Marina met, much to his consternation. Looking angrily down at the two wounded soldiers, he shouted, "Get them up to the infirmary!"

The guards kept their weapons trained on Marina as they knelt down to help the two soldiers to their feet. The guards escorted the two soldiers out of the dungeon.

As they did, the officer said to Marina, "My apologies. General Jaeger said that you were to be treated well as a prisoner, and those two have been troublemakers ever since they got here. Rest assured – I plan to have them punished severely."

"…"

With a short smile, the officer added, "If anything, you did me a bit of a favor by roughing them up. High Command doesn't approve of corporal punishment. I'm sure they'll remember this for a while."

Marina chose not to respond, prompting the officer to leave and shut the door to her cell on the way out. As the officer's footsteps echoed, Marina knelt down and scooped up the stale loaf of bread. It was all she had to eat at the moment; her struggle with the two soldiers had knocked the bowl of stew over, spilling its contents onto the grimy floor. The bowl itself had been broken, apparently made of pottery.

Noting how hard the bread was, Marina swung the loaf at the wall, breaking it into smaller pieces. Placing a bite-sized piece in her mouth, Marina was immediately met by a very dry and bland taste, though she managed to swallow it.

Alicia's bread loaves were far better. Marina wondered how she and the other Sevens were faring, knowing she was missing in action. Catherine probably wasn't taking the news well…

* * *

"What? Are you sure?" Damon hissed to one of his officers.

"Yes sir," said the officer. "Captain Varrot's holding onto the evidence presently, and word on Sergeant Wulfstan's disappearance is spreading throughout the militia."

Damon began to twitch angrily at hearing this. An information leak of this degree was a disaster for him. Though no one would be able to convict him based solely on hearsay, Varrot's physical evidence would be a serious threat. And since so many people knew about his actions, Damon couldn't have Varrot eliminated; it would only provide further proof of his involvement on the attempt on Marina Wulfstan's life.

What left Damon confused, however, was how Varrot had obtained physical evidence. Vargas' crew had caught the militia reporter, and even though she had been turned loose, all the physical evidence was destroyed. Had he missed something?

With his keys jittering in his hands, Damon opened the door to his office and marched in. He had to think of a way out.

"What do you want us to do about Captain Varrot, sir?"

"I don't know, shut up! Let me think…"

Suddenly, as Damon was mulling his options, he heard the officer let out a short gasp, followed by a loud thud as the officer fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Turn around, General," a voice said angrily.

Damon slowly turned around. Surprise came across his face upon seeing Catherine, who had hidden behind the door, pointing a pistol at him.

"O'Hara? What is the meaning of this?" Damon demanded.

Angrily, yet in a scarily calm voice, Catherine said, "Twenty years ago, I lost two of my best friends at Naggiar because of you. Today, I just lost someone else I held dear."

"That's quite a shame, O'Hara, but casualties are inevitable in war. You, among all people, should know that."

"Shut up! I'm not buying any more of that horseshit! You tried to have Marina killed, and because of that the Imperials got her! It's your fault, you bastard!"

"What are you babbling about, O'Hara? I had nothing to do with Wulfstan's disappearance, just as I had nothing to do with what happened back then!"

"LIAR!" Catherine screamed. "I already heard the recording between you and Vargas! You even tried to have Ellet killed for it, you demented maniac!"

Damon knew he couldn't lie anymore to Catherine. She'd either see right through it or she'd shoot him for it. Either way, Damon was cornered, and very likely running out of time before Catherine snapped.

Backing away, Damon said, "Now, O'Hara, let's be reasonable–"

Storming furiously at Damon, Catherine struck the general with the butt of her pistol, sending him to the carpet. Damon tried to crawl away, but Catherine pressed a boot down on his back, pinning him to the floor. She then cocked the hammer of her gun and pressed the barrel to the back of Damon's head.

Through clenched teeth, Catherine hissed, "I should have done this twenty years ago, you son of a bitch!"

"Hands up! Drop it!" shouted a man's voice.

On a reflex, Catherine swung her pistol toward the source of the voice. Then, to her shock, the butt of a Mags MXX smashed into her arm. Catherine screamed in pain as she dropped her gun. Barely a second later passed before Catherine was struck again by the same Mags, sending her to the ground.

Catherine lay on the floor with a large bruise on her cheek as four more of Damon's bodyguards rushed into the room and trained their submachine guns on her. Damon's aide entered the room and quickly knelt down next to the general.

"Sir, are you alright?" asked the aide.

"I'm fine, you idiots! How'd you let her through?"

Damon pushed himself back up, straightened his collar, and looked down at Catherine, whose livid expression showed her hatred. To Damon's surprise, Catherine screamed as she tried to lunge at him, but one of his bodyguards quickly kicked her to the floor again. She continued to struggle violently, but this was met by a series of violent blows from the Regulars. Soon, she lay still, wounded but alive, and whimpering in a deranged manner.

Then, one of Damon's men readied his submachine gun to finish Catherine off. "Burn in hell, traitor!"

"Hold your fire!" shouted Damon. "I want her alive!"

The bodyguards, along with Damon's aide, were confused by this order. Regardless, they chose to obey. Catherine, battered and wounded, was too enraged to wonder what Damon was thinking.

With a short laugh, Damon said, "She's just what I needed right now. Lock her up, and make sure no one visits her without my direct authorization! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" was the unanimous response.

Two of the bodyguards then grabbed Catherine by her arms and dragged her out of the hallway. A third followed, keeping his Mags trained on her. Two others moved the officer Catherine had knocked out, carrying him off to the infirmary.

As the guards left, Damon's aide asked, "Sir, why did you let her live?"

"Word of my little plan from last night has gotten out amongst the men. If the higher-ups back in Randgriz get any solid evidence, I'm finished!"

"So, how does she fit into this?"

Damon did not answer this. A twisted grin appeared on his face.

* * *

Cezary strode through the grimy catacombs of Ghirlandaio, dressed in a black Imperial officer's outfit. Pinned to his shoulder was a single silver bar, the insignia of a 1st lieutenant in the Imperial Army. It wasn't quite the captain rank Jaeger had promised him, but it was a start.

Still, the rank didn't bring him immunity from persecution. Several Imperials still gave him nasty glances when he passed them. Cezary wasn't surprised; his rank was earned through treachery, and the Imperials rarely abided a traitor. The rank would temporarily serve to protect him, but he was going to have to earn further protection by helping to win the war.

The bad thing was General Jaeger had been called away from Ghirlandaio shortly after his group had returned from patrol. He was heading to meet up with Maximilian, who was audaciously leading a force directly toward Randgriz. Cezary planned to leave Ghirlandaio and join up with Jaeger the next day. He had some unfinished business to attend to, and it was already getting dark outside.

Walking up to a set of darkened stairs, Cezary slowly descended into the dungeons, taking care not to slip on the grimy floor. The air was sickening, but he had been through worse. He had business with a certain prisoner.

Coming up to Marina's cell, Cezary watched for a moment as Marina realized his presence. Not moving from her bed, Marina's contemptuous violet eyes met with Cezary's light blue ones.

"…Just when I was starting to get cozy, you decide to stroll on down here…"

"Oh, that reaaally stings, Wulfstan. Tch, still an insufferable bitch."

"Insufferable's a word I think suits you, Cezary."

Smirking, Cezary said, "You can keep up that tough girl shtick all you like, Wulfstan. But we'll see how tough you are when you're put before a firing squad. A lotta guys here wanna see you die, including me. I've even asked General Jaeger to put me on the firing squad. I plan to put a round right here." Cezary touched a finger between his eyes as he finished his sentence.

"I bet you'll miss."

This response seemed to push one of Cezary's buttons. He drew a pistol from his belt, pointing it at Marina's head. It was her Colt .45. Cezary had taken all her weapons when she was captured, claiming them for himself. Marina was surprised that the Imperial commanders let him keep the GSR-XXX, which was strapped to his back.

"I don't miss, Wulfstan," Cezary hissed.

"Funny, I seem to remember you missed me at that ravine."

Cocking the hammer on Marina's pistol, Cezary said, "Well, maybe I should just finish you off right now. It'd save me from having to wait."

At that moment, the tip of a sword shot out, hovering near Cezary's neck. "And yet you shall wait, vermin," said a commanding voice.

Slowly turning, Cezary saw that Selvaria was standing next to him, her rapier close to his throat. Neither he nor Marina had expected her to be there, let alone protecting Marina from a premature death.

"Do you mind, Lady Valkyria?" said Cezary. "She and I were talking."

"If you wish to keep your head attached to your body, then you will leave us, worm!" Selvaria snapped.

For a moment, Cezary glared at Selvaria angrily. What business did she have denying him the chance to kill his hated rival?

Selvaria, however, glared back with her crimson eyes. It was enough to make Cezary back down and holster the pistol. Scoffing, Cezary left the dungeon, muttering threats under his breath.

Getting to her feet, Marina said, "…Thanks…"

Turning to Marina, Selvaria said, "Your death will not serve to fulfill the desires of one man, Ghost of Gallia. Your death is to account for the deaths of many you have slain, and to put at ease those who have lost comrades at your hands."

"Sounds like dying either way. You just make it sound glorified."

"Do I?" Selvaria asked bemusedly.

"Yup. Getting shot to death while tied to a pole sounds like a pretty undignified way to go, if you ask me. You make it sound like an honor."

Selvaria lifted her rapier, making the blade level with her flat palm. She then said, "Oh, but you deserve such an honor. You truly live up to your name, Ghost of Gallia. Though I pierced your heart with this very blade, you found a way to cheat death."

"I told you back then, I wasn't afraid to die. I'm still not. Then again, maybe you really did kill me, and I really am a ghost."

With a quick swipe, the tip of Selvaria's rapier nicked Marina's left cheek. Wincing, Marina touched a hand to the small scratch as it bled.

"Even a ghost like yourself can be killed," Selvaria said casually.

"I guess so…"

As she sheathed her blade, Selvaria said, "I will admit to you, Ghost, that I was impressed by your bravery at Naggiar. A lone soldier, who dared to challenge me, a Scion of the Valkyrur. You even succeeded at wounding me. That is no mere feat."

"I was just doing what was necessary to let the others complete their mission."

"You value your own life less than the lives of others?"

Marina paused for a moment, and then said, "…Maybe…"

"You are a strange one, Ghost. You and I, we are quite similar."

"I find that hard to believe."

"You do not think you are the same as I am?"

"I'm not a descendent of the Valkyrur. And I wouldn't sacrifice everyone around me just to save one man. You seem to have that problem with Maximilian."

Marina half-expected Selvaria to kill her right there and then, but she didn't. Instead, Selvaria seemed to smirk at this remark.

"I owe my life to His Grace, a debt I can never hope to repay."

Marina's curiosity was piqued at this. "Really…? What'd he do to make you owe him that much?"

"He gave me a purpose in life. He saved me from the hell that is Asgard. And… he gave me my name, Selvaria Bles."

Selvaria lowered her head, while Marina listened curiously to her tale.

"I was alone… Always…"

* * *

"_Stop, A-One!" shouted a man._

"_There's no use running! You have nowhere to go!" shouted another man._

_Outside a large Imperial facility, called Asgard by the people who worked there, three scientists ran after a twelve-year-old girl with silver hair and pale skin. She was covered in small bruises and cuts, and only had a tattered white sheet as clothing. Her eyes, however, were ruby red._

_The girl, A1, ran desperately into a maze of bushes in Asgard's garden. She continually swerved around corners, left and right, desperately trying to shake off her pursuers. She had to get away. She had tried so many times to get away, but each attempt had failed._

_But after only a couple of minutes, the girl began to tire. Her legs were becoming sore, and she was running out of breath. She could still hear the scientists nearby searching for her. It was only a matter of time before they found her._

_She could run no further. A1 sat down next to a bush filled with blue flowers, wrapping her arms around her tired legs. She began to cry._

_She heard footsteps approaching. One of the scientists must have found her. A1 opened her eyes to see who it was._

_It wasn't a scientist. It was a young man, about nineteen-years-old, wearing a white military ensemble. His blond hair and blue eyes were matched by a truly handsome face. A1 had never seen anyone like him before._

_For a moment, the two just stared at one another._

"_What is your name?" asked the prince._

_Slowly, the girl said, "A1."_

"_That is an unusual name. It doesn't suit you."_

"_Huh?"_

_Suddenly, the two heard a woman's voice shout, "A-One, show yourself! You can't hide forever!"_

_The voice was close by. Seconds later, a woman wearing a lab coat walked onto the scene. She had long black hair and wore glasses in front of her green eyes. She wore a leather vest under her lab coat, one that revealed a small amount of her cleavage. She looked as though she were in her mid-twenties or so._

"_There you are, A-One," said the woman. "Third time this week; when are you going to– Ah! P-Prince Maximilian! I didn't notice you!"_

_The woman bowed to Maximilian as he glanced toward her. He then asked, "You are Clementia Forster, correct?"_

_Recollecting herself, the woman said, "Yes, Your Grace, I am the head scientist here at Asgard. I was not expecting you here, and I apologize if A-One has inconvenienced you. She is a troublemaker, you see."_

_Maximilian said nothing to this. From her position, A1 watched as Clementia approached her._

"_Now then, A-One, come along back to your cell. And don't struggle this time, or–"_

_To Clementia's surprise, Maximilian had stepped in front of A1._

"_Doctor Forster, this girl is no longer your concern. From this moment on, she will be under my care."_

_Startled, Clementia said, "What? What are you talking about?"_

_"She is the very reason why I am here, doctor. She will serve me from now on."_

"_Prince Maximilian, have you gone mad? Do you have any idea what kind of power A-One commands?"_

_Calmly, Maximilian answered, _"_More than you would believe, doctor."_

_Now frustrated, Clementia brushed aside part of her lab coat, drawing a pistol from its holster. "I'm afraid I can't let you take her. I am under direct orders from the Emperor himself to see that A-One is trained to become the Empire's champion. She is not yours to take as you see fit."_

_Maximilian ignored Clementia, and turned to A1. He extended a hand and said, "Do you wish to leave this place?"_

_A1 could not answer. She timidly began to extend her hand to Maximilian. But as she did, she heard a pistol click._

_In what seemed like an instant, A1 watched as Maximilian swung around, drawing his sword, and slashed at Clementia's gun. Clementia recoiled in shock, clasping her hand as her gun clattered to the ground. Before she could react, Maximilian had raised the tip of his blade to her throat._

_Recovering from her surprise, Clementia said angrily, "The Emperor will have your head for this!"_

"_Will he, now? Perhaps you should be more concerned about your own head, Doctor Forster. His Excellency is most displeased with your lack of progress. He has ordered that I shut down your operation, and has permitted me to claim any assets I see fit in doing so."_

"_What? Th-That can't be! No!"_

_Looking to her sides, Clementia saw a number of Imperial soldiers advancing on the facility, most whom were engineers and technicians, all under Maximilian's command. Clementia fell to her knees in disbelief. Deep down, she knew Maximilian's words were true. She was finished._

_Taking his attention away from Clementia, Maximilian turned back to A1 as he sheathed his sword. He then looked to the blue flowers, clasping one in his hand._

"_Selvaria. The name of this flower." Looking at A1, Maximilian said, "That shall be your name from now on. Selvaria Bles."_

_A1 blushed as Maximilian handed her the flower. She slowly stood up as Maximilian turned around, and she followed him out of the garden._

* * *

"So you just followed him because he gave you a name?" asked Marina. "Sounds like something a lovesick puppy would do…"

Angry with the remark, Selvaria snapped, "You would be smart to watch your tongue, Ghost, lest I decide to cut it out!"

"…"

Calming herself, Selvaria added, "From that day forward, I vowed to always serve him, even if I had to give my life for him. I would end a thousand lives if he asked it of me, without question."

Marina waited a moment before asking, "…Because you love him…?"

Selvaria paused, and then said, "Yes."

"…"

"And what of you, Ghost of Gallia? What is your purpose? Why do you fight?"

Marina said nothing for a moment, but then said, "…To honor my father…"

* * *

Varrot sat in her office, deep in thought over the events of that day. Damon's conspiracy was something that could create a significant political storm back at Randgriz. Even if Cordelia were to receive the information, she still had to worry about Prime Minister Borg. Borg was a close friend of Damon's, and his political influence would surely lessen the charges set against Damon in the end.

It couldn't be helped, though. At the very least, revealing the conspiracy would tarnish Damon's reputation irreparably. It would be a victory, albeit small.

To Varrot's surprise, the door to her office swung open as four armed Regulars barged in, moving to surround her. As Varrot quickly stood up, an officer from the Regular Army, Major Beier, entered the room.

"Major Beier. Is there something I can help you with?" asked Varrot.

"Captain Eleanor Varrot, you are under arrest for treason," said Beier.

Bewildered, Varrot said, "Treason? I've done no such thing!"

"Approximately one hour ago, Captain, one of your men, Corporal Catherine O'Hara, made a failed attempt on General Damon's life. She's now in the stockade. You are suspected of being an accomplice in her actions."

Varrot did her best to keep her tone civil as she said, "What you are suggesting is absurd. Catherine and I may be old friends, but I would never assist her in–"

"You will come with us, Captain. Lieutenant, take her away!"

One of the Regulars stepped up to Varrot. She then realized that they weren't even going to let her try and explain herself. They either wouldn't believe her, or they would twist the facts of her story. Damon, it seemed, wanted her silenced; hopefully, he wouldn't resort to bloodshed in her case.

Sighing in a defeated tone, Varrot said, "Very well. Lead on."

Beier's men stood at Varrot's side as they escorted her out of the office. As they entered the hallway, however, Varrot saw Largo storming toward the Regulars. He had apparently overheard everything.

"Let her go!" Largo demanded of Beier.

"Largo, stand down," Varrot said commandingly. "Stay out of this."

"The hell I will! Damon's not getting away with this!"

"You heard your superior, Sergeant Potter," said Beier. "She said to stay out of this matter, so you'll stay out of it. It's that or we can have you locked up as well."

Largo was sorely tempted to ignore Beier's warning and to simply punch the Regular Major in the face. But as he took another step, he saw Varrot shaking her head, telling him not to intervene. Reluctantly, Largo lowered his stance.

"Inform Lieutenant Gunther of what has happened here," said Varrot. "And tell him not to get involved." Seeing that Largo wasn't backing down, Varrot added, "Largo, trust me on this."

"Got it," Largo said reluctantly.

Largo turned and left as Beier's men escorted Varrot out of the building.

* * *

"Ever since I was four, my father raised me to be a soldier. He spent almost every day teaching me how to hunt, how to fight, and how to survive. I never got to interact much with other people. Hell, I didn't even get much of an education back then. It was all about training, even when it was raining or freezing. He'd keep me going until I collapsed or lost consciousness."

As Marina told this to Selvaria, memories of those days flashed before her eyes. Her father had been a harsh teacher, pushing Marina each day to become better and better. Early on, she had hated it, hated him.

"You hated him for it?" asked Selvaria.

"…At first, yeah. At least until I was eight…"

* * *

_In his cabin, sitting in the dark as he smoked a cigar, Marcus Wulfstan rocked his chair back and forth, watching the woods from a nearby window. He slowly took a breath from his cigar, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke a second later._

_A shadow approached from the outside. The door swung open, revealing a nineteen-year-old Catherine O'Hara in the door. She was clearly angry about something._

"_Marcus, we need to talk," said Catherine, completely serious._

"_O'Hara, I don't recall inviting you over tonight," said Marcus, his voice bold and distinguished by age._

"_You think I haven't noticed how you've been treating Marina lately? That poor girl came to me last week, sick as a dog! What do you think you're doing to her?"_

"_What I will, Catherine. If my daughter is going to be a soldier, she needs to learn how to survive the way I've survived. She is a Wulfstan, and I'll be damned if she doesn't grow up a Wulfstan. How I raise her is none of your business."_

"_Well it is now! I'm taking her off your hands, like it or not! Now where is she?"_

_Marcus didn't answer, but continued to stare at the woods, taking another breath from his cigar._

"_Where is she?"_

_Again, Marcus didn't answer, continuing to stare out at the forest. A moment later, Catherine realized what Marcus had done._

"_Oh my God… You… you monster… Marcus, what have you done?"_

_Catherine ran out of the cabin, her face stricken in horror. She ran out into the woods, shouting out "Marina!" into the night._

_As Catherine disappeared from view, Marcus took another puff of his cigar._

* * *

_Dawn had begun to break, shining dim light into the forest. A few birds were chirping as they flew through the trees._

_Though she hadn't slept a wink that night, Catherine trudged on through the foliage, looking for any sign of Marina. "Marina!" she shouted, but there was no reply._

_Stopping next to a tree, Catherine was forced to catch her breath. Exhausted, she rubbed her eyes. She had been searching for nearly eight hours, but the Forstwald Woods were large. There hadn't even been a slight trace of Marina._

_Then, as she looked ahead, Catherine saw a small trail of red leading deeper into the forest. It was blood. Catherine feared that she was too late. Marina was just a child and the Forstwald Woods were a dangerous place. Many predators stalked the woods, most notably a large clan of wolves._

"_Oh my God…"_

_Catherine slowly moved to follow the blood trail, praying that Marina would be alright. A minute later, Catherine reached a small clearing. What she saw astonished her._

"_Ma-Marina?"_

_In the middle of the clearing, a small fire pit billowed small wisps of smoke from a few remaining embers. Suspended on a spit above the fire pit was the charred body of a rabbit, which had been skinned before being cooked. The pelt had apparently been used, along with two others, in making a makeshift mattress._

_And sleeping on that mattress was a young eight-year-old girl with black hair. Her pale skin and small sheet dress had been stained red with blood, especially around her mouth and hands. Next to her was a jagged rock, also covered in blood, clearly used as a crude knife._

_Catherine slowly walked over to the girl. As she did, she suddenly felt herself step on a twig. Hearing the noise, Marina's violet eyes opened. The girl sprung to her feet, grasping the stone knife in her hand fiercely, snarling at Catherine._

"_Easy, Marina," said Catherine, holding out her hands to show she meant no harm. "It's me, Cathy. Don't worry, it's gonna be okay."_

_Marina didn't lower her knife, however, and continued to snarl as though she were a wolf. As Catherine took another step forward, Marina swiped at her, forcing Catherine to back off._

"_Marina, it's me! It's Catherine! I'm not gonna hurt you."_

_For a moment, Marina continued to snarl at Catherine. But then, she stopped, looking at something behind her. Her ferocity vanished, replaced by a look of innocence._

"_D-Dad…?" Marina whimpered._

_With a soft moan, Marina collapsed. Shocked, Catherine rushed forward and scooped the unconscious child into her arms. She quickly placed a hand to the child's chest; her heart beat softly, and short breaths escaped Marina's blue lips. She was so cold to the touch._

_A look of rage appeared on Catherine's face as she turned to face Marcus, who stood a few meters away. Smoke billowed from a cigar in his fingers._

_Walking toward the two, Marcus said proudly, "That's my girl."_

_But as Marcus neared her, Catherine slapped him in the face. She then turned Marina away from him and snapped, "Are you insane, Marcus? This girl's barely alive! What the hell were you thinking?"_

"_I knew Marina was up for a test like this, Catherine. She's survived out here a full three days, just like I taught her. I can't say I've ever been more proud of her."_

"_You're a maniac! To think I ever followed your command four years ago! To think any of us did!"_

"_D-Dad…"_

_Startled, Catherine looked at the girl in her arms. "Marina?"_

_Looking in her arms, Catherine saw Marina was staring at her father, reaching out a small hand to him._

"_D-Dad… H-How did… I… do…?"_

_Marcus dropped his cigar to the ground, crushing it under his boot, and then walked over to Catherine and Marina. Gently grasping Marina's hand, he said, "You did well, Marina. Get some rest; you've earned it."_

_With a short smile, Marina shut her eyes as she again lost consciousness. Marcus then took hold of his daughter, cradling her gently in his arms. Then, with a stunned Catherine in tow, Marcus carried Marina out of the Forstwald Woods._

* * *

"After that experience, things changed," said Marina. "I took to my father's lessons even when he didn't tell me to. He taught me how to shoot, but more importantly, he taught me how to fight like a hunter. How to hide, how to move invisibly… how to kill… He showed me all that and more. That is, until he died when I was fourteen…"

"I see…" said Selvaria.

Suddenly realizing what she was saying, Marina said, "Dunno why I just told you all that…"

"Yours is a truly remarkable tale, Ghost of Gallia. You seem born a warrior, else your father's teachings would have been wasted on you."

"…"

"In a way, we are both similar," Selvaria remarked. "We two were raised to be soldiers, yet while you were raised to serve Gallia as a hunter, I was made to serve the Empire as a Valkyria. You and I are alike and unalike."

"…Guess you're right… doesn't really matter, though, does it? Come tomorrow, your men will have me shipped off to some camp in the Empire, where I'll be put to death."

"A truly unfortunate fate for one such as you, I'm afraid. But one I must condemn you to, Ghost of Gallia."

With that, Selvaria turned and strode toward the exit to the dungeon. But after a few steps, she stopped as Marina said, "A word of warning, General Bles. If I get the chance, I will shoot you down."

"You still utter threats to me?"

"It's a warning, from one soldier to another."

Selvaria simply smirked at this, then continued up the stairs and vanished. In her cell, Marina lay down on her bed, and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Welkin looked up at the starry sky as he stood outside Squad Seven's barracks, his mind troubled. Largo had just informed him that Captain Varrot had been arrested by Damon's men on a false treason charge, allegedly assisting Catherine in an attempt on Damon's life. Varrot, however, had instructed him not to intervene. She had the right idea; they couldn't afford to give Damon any more to work with against them.

Then, Welkin heard footsteps approaching as Juno said, "Welkin! Welkin!"

Welkin turned just as Juno ran right up to him, almost colliding with him. "Juno, what's wrong?"

"It's Catherine! Damon's men – they took her and Captain Varrot away! They said she tried to kill General Damon!"

"Calm down, Juno. Largo already told me about it."

"Welkin, you have to do something!"

"There's nothing we can do right now, Juno," said Welkin. "We'd only be playing right into Damon's hands if we tried to free them."

"But, Welkin–"

"I know how you feel, Juno, but it's not up to me. Captain Varrot ordered us to stay out of it, and I agree with her call on this. If we do anything, Damon's position will only become stronger. Don't worry; once we speak with Princess Cordelia, Catherine and Varrot will be released. I promise."

With tears now beginning to fill her eyes, Juno sobbed as she turned away and said, "You wouldn't say that if it were Alicia in trouble."

"What?" Welkin said, startled by Juno's words.

At that very moment, Welkin and Juno failed to notice that Alicia, who was in the middle of a midnight stroll, had walked onto the scene. Seeing the two together and Juno in tears, Alicia decided to stay hidden behind a corner. She then looked around to listen in on the conversation.

"If it were Alicia, you'd probably have already done something crazy to rescue her," said Juno. "But for anyone else, you're content to just sit and do nothing! Even… even if it were me in there… you wouldn't…"

Confused, Welkin asked, "Juno, what are you saying?"

At that moment, Juno suddenly threw herself at Welkin, crying loudly as she beat her fists against his chest lightly. Welkin didn't resist; Juno wasn't really trying to hurt him, after all. She was simply distressed.

"It's always about her, Welkin! It's always about you and Alicia! I can't stand it! To you, I'm nothing compared to her! But Welkin, I… I…"

Grasping one of Juno's wrists at this moment, Welkin said, "Juno, that's not true! You and I have known each other for so long now. I still care for you like I always have!"

Alicia was shocked to hear this. What about her? What did she mean to Welkin?

"Y-You mean that, Welkin?" asked Juno.

"Of course I do."

Sniffling, Juno said, "We-Welkin… I'm so happy to hear you say that… Because Welkin… I… I…"

What Alicia saw next broke her heart. Juno had risen up and kissed Welkin right on the lips. And Welkin kissed her back…

Trying not to be heard, Alicia slowly walked away, crying silently.

Welkin, surprised that Juno had kissed him, suddenly realized what he was doing. He slowly removed his lips from Juno's, leaving the girl confused.

"We-Welkin…?"

"Juno, I… I didn't realize you felt this way about me."

"Well I do, Welkin! I… I love you!"

Juno tried to kiss Welkin again, but this time he was forced to push her away. Shocked, Juno's expression turned to sorrow and confusion as Welkin stepped back.

Trying to be serious, Welkin said, "Juno, you and I have been friends for as long as I've known you. And I don't want that to change."

"W-What?" Juno said in pained disbelief.

"You have to understand. Alicia's been there for me since the start of this. Without her, I would have lost my mind when Isara died. And I've always been there for her when she needs me." Sighing, Welkin said, "I'm sorry, but the way I feel about her and the way I feel about you… those feelings are too different."

"So… you don't l-love me?"

"I do, Juno. But not the same way I love Alicia."

This was all Juno needed to hear. Her heart seemed to stop beating in her chest, crushed by Welkin's words.

Juno turned away and said, "You know, Welkin? I-I always th-thought you a-and I… w-we'd…" Juno couldn't finish her sentence.

Welkin could only watch as Juno ran away from him, weeping loudly from a broken heart.

* * *

Catherine lay in her cell, still sore from the beating she had received at the hands of Damon's bodyguards. She found it strange that Damon had let her live and cursed herself for failing to kill him. She had the perfect opportunity and she let it go to waste! Now she would certainly face a firing squad for attempted murder.

Just then, Catherine heard the door to the stockade open, accompanied by several footsteps. A moment later, Captain Varrot was escorted into the stockade by two Regular officers. The guard opened the door to Catherine's cell, and Varrot entered. The door shut behind her.

"Elle…?"

"Catherine O'Hara, I am very disappointed in you," said Varrot. "I believed you were better than this, but you seem to have proven me wrong."

"At least I was trying to do something, Elle, instead of just sitting on my ass!"

"Did you not think about the consequences of your actions? This is exactly why I wanted to do things by the book."

Before Catherine could say anything else, the two heard more footsteps enter the stockade. Turning to the door, they saw General Damon enter the room, accompanied by Major Beier. Damon held a cassette tape in his hand.

"You're sure this is it?" Damon asked Beier.

"Of course, sir," said Beier. "I listened to it myself."

"Good work, Major. Dismissed." As Beier saluted the general and turned to leave, Damon looked at Varrot and Catherine and said, "I need to thank the two of you personally. If you hadn't tried to kill me, I'd never have been able to get this back. It's quite ironic, actually."

Catherine watched in despair as Damon dropped the cassette to the floor and crushed it under his foot. Damon, seemingly enjoying it, stamped on the tape several more times, grinding it under his boot.

"There, that takes care of that," Damon said, clearly relieved. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need my rest before tomorrow's siege. When Ghirlandaio is ours again, I'll be hailed as a hero!"

Damon laughed as he turned to leave. But at the same instant, Catherine lunged at the cell bars, trying to grab Damon through them. Damon recoiled as a deranged Catherine almost grabbed his uniform. Next to him, his escorts raised their weapons.

To Damon's surprise, Varrot struck Catherine in the back of the head, causing her to hit her head on the cell bars. The sniper fell to the floor, unconscious.

Straightening his uniform, Damon said, "I don't think I'll have any trouble putting her to death, Captain."

Varrot watched with an icy stare as Damon left the stockade with his escort. She then knelt down and rolled Catherine onto her back. Fortunately, the damage wasn't permanent; she was just stunned. She moaned gently.

Then, feeling tired, Varrot went over to one of the beds and lay down. As she did, she mused on how things seemed to be continually going from bad-to-worse.

* * *

Alicia ran as hard and fast as she could. She didn't know where she was in the forest, or where she was going. She just ran, leaving a trail of tears in her wake.

How could Welkin have betrayed her trust like that? She thought he cared for her, when in reality it was Juno he loved! She had been a fool believing otherwise!

Alicia soon reached a clearing in the woods, leading to a wide field of rolling grass. Running out of breath, Alicia stopped running and fell to her knees.

The whole world seemed to be falling apart for Alicia. Her friends feared her, Welkin had chosen Juno over her, and fate had cursed her with the power of the Valkyrur, a power that brought ruin to those around her. The people of Gallia, nobles and commoners alike, all saw her as a weapon meant to crush Gallia's enemies.

It was more than Alicia could take. All her dreams, everything she had cared for, were slipping away from her bit by bit. Each minute that passed for her had now become a nightmare she couldn't awaken from.

"Welkin… why…"

Burying her face in her hands, Alicia's sobs echoed silently through the forest.

"It's… It's not fair…"

Blue light began to shimmer from Alicia's body.

"It's not fair…"

An aura of azure flames began to envelop Alicia as her hair began to turn silver and her eyes a bloody crimson. The grass around her began to rustle as though a gentle wind were emanating from her.

"It's not fair!"

As she screamed, Alicia unleashed a wave of blue fire all around her. The grass was instantly set aflame and crumbled to ashes. The soil was scorched, hardening until it began to crack under the pressure of Alicia's power.

Opening her eyes, Alicia saw the flames roaring out around her. Terror now accompanied her sorrow upon seeing the destruction her powers were causing. Immediately, she held her head and struggled to contain her power, pleading for the flames to go away.

Alicia's silver hair began to fade, changing back to its regular brown. Her eyes did the same as the blue aura surrounding her body faded, and the blue fires burned out. Still, it did not stop a few small flames from burning around her, clinging to what remained of the once grassy field.

Looking at the devastation, Alicia couldn't stop herself from crying. Now her power was running wild; her feelings of pain and betrayal were only fanning the azure flames within her. Anything near her faced the threat of annihilation.

It was at this thought that Alicia remembered Marina's warning.

"_Attachment is a weakness to us as soldiers…_"

Alicia thought deeply about these words. The sniper's warning was quite sound: Alicia's care for the Sevens seemed to have a negative effect on her control over her powers. Her love for Welkin, in particular, seemed to be a poison that threatened to send her power into rampancy. Alicia knew Marina didn't know what it was like wielding the power of the Valkyrur, but she knew better than anyone just how terrifying it could be, having fought a Valkyria in single combat. She knew just how dangerous Alicia's power could be, and for that reason had promised to kill Alicia if she couldn't control her power. But now Alicia didn't have that protection. Marina was missing, and quite likely she was already dead. No one else would be able to stop Alicia in the event her powers went rampant.

There was only one option: Alicia had to learn to control her power. She cringed at the thought: doing so would involve detaching herself from all her friends and loved ones. She would have to embrace her existence as a weapon, not a human being. But what choice did she have? If she didn't control her power, it would probably destroy her and everyone close to her. Alicia couldn't bear the thought of it.

Standing up slowly, Alicia wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, and then shut her eyes, entering a focused state. Slowly, blue light began to shimmer from her body. Her brown hair once again turned silver. Opening her now-crimson eyes, Alicia held a hand out in front of her, observing the blue aura that now surrounded her body. She then watched as a blue flame sprouted above her palm.

* * *

The next morning arrived with a grey sky. The air was dry and the heat was mild. The sun, however, failed to shine through the clouds.

The remnants of the Imperial Army scrambled to their positions. The roar of tank engines accompanied the shouts of officers and foot soldiers. Ghirlandaio's elevators busily moved soldiers up and down the towers and parapets.

Sitting at a desk, Cezary carefully inspected his new GSR-XXX, which had been procured from Marina. It was a magnificent sniper rifle, made for the best snipers: rigid, precise, and powerful. Despite the rough conditions Marina had put it through the previous day, it was undamaged. Next to the rifle was a bandolier with twenty extra rounds for the rifle.

Cezary lamented how he would only get twenty shots; it was all Marina had on her. He didn't want to use Imperial rounds with the rifle, as they would risk damaging it. He would have to make due with what he had, but twenty shots weren't likely to do much against over a thousand Gallian soldiers.

Satisfied that the rifle was in good condition, Cezary slung it over his shoulder and made his way out of the office, heading for Ghirlandaio's eastern tower. The aerie would be an ideal position to snipe from. Truthfully, Cezary wished he could have fled the fortress. Attempting it now, however surely have him take a bullet to the back. He had no choice but to stay and fight.

Meanwhile, inside her quarters, Selvaria dressed herself in her form-fitting leather uniform, strapping her Ragnite rapier to her belt. After making a short prayer, Selvaria collected her Ragnite lance and shield, and left her quarters for the battlefield. Blue flames began to crackle around her as she took each step.

Over the intercom, the same message rang through the ears of the Imperials: the Gallian Army was advancing on Ghirlandaio.

* * *

Marina listened intently to the voice on the intercom and to the alarms. The rumble of tanks could be felt even through the thick concrete walls.

So the others were on their way, Marina thought. It probably wouldn't matter. Marina could already hear footsteps coming down into the dungeon. Looking to the entrance, Marina saw an Imperial sergeant leading two of his men into the dungeon. All three were armed.

The sergeant gestured to the prison guard to open Marina's cell, which he did quickly. Marina got to her feet as the sergeant walked up to her cell, holding a small length of rope in his hands. Not needing any instruction, Marina held out her wrists to the sergeant, letting him wrap the rope around them, binding her arms. Marina wondered why the sergeant wasn't using metal cuffs, but didn't complain either way.

"Alright, let's make this quick," said the sergeant. "Right this way."

"…"

Marina followed the sergeant out of the dungeon, followed by his subordinates. But as she walked up the stairs, her escort failed to notice as she fiddled with something in her fingers.

* * *

From his jeep at the rear of the Gallian formation, General Damon looked on at Ghirlandaio with a smile on his face. This would surely be his greatest achievement yet. The Imperials, even with their Valkyria, wouldn't stand up to Gallia's military might.

After all, Gallia's own Valkyria was at the front of the formation.

Ahead of the rest of the Gallian Army, Alicia's body crackled with blue fire. Her hair glowed silver, and her eyes had turned crimson red from her transformation. She firmly held her lance and shield in hand as she walked forward, keeping her gaze fixed on another blue flame ahead of her.

Standing in front of Ghirlandaio's gates was Selvaria, ready for battle. Yet Alicia was able to sense Selvaria's power; she was so much stronger than at Naggiar. But Alicia knew she would win. She had to win for Gallia.

Not too far behind her, Squad Seven advanced alongside the Edelweiss and the Shamrock. Welkin had his head sticking out of the turret hatch, watching Alicia as she marched forward. His face had concern written all over it.

* * *

_Earlier that day, Squad Seven had gathered in the hanger next to the Edelweiss. They were all dressed in their combat rigs and held their weapons at attention. Catherine's absence was sorely felt. The Sevens already knew about her arrest, as well as the arrest of Captain Varrot._

_Standing before his squad, Welkin said, "Alright Sevens, there's not much to say about today that hasn't already been said. This will probably be the most important battle we've fought these past eight months. Once we retake Ghirlandaio, the war will be over. We'll all get to go home. I ask of all of you to give me everything you've got today."_

_The Sevens voiced their approval, though without shouting. Welkin knew, however, that they were all eager to end the war that day. Eight months of warfare and its horrors were about to come to an end._

_Then, from her place at the side of the crowd, Dallas asked, "Um, sir, where's Miss Alicia?"_

_The question hit Welkin like a pile of bricks. Alicia was nowhere to be seen! Apparently, the others had heard Dallas, and also looked around the hanger for her._

_A second later, however, Dallas looked to the entrance of the hanger and said happily, "Miss Alicia!"_

_Welkin quickly turned toward the hanger doors._

"_A-Alicia…"_

_His heart sank as he saw Alicia, her hair silver and her eyes red, bearing the Ragnite lance and shield of the Valkyrur._

"_What is it, Lieutenant Gunther?" Alicia asked. Her voice echoed in an otherworldly tone._

"_Alicia, I… you promised me that you wouldn't use your powers."_

_Her expression unchanging, Alicia said, "I apologize, Lieutenant, but my power will be needed if we are to win the battle, for we will face the Empire's Scion to the Valkyrur, and only my power can match hers. You, of all people, should know that."_

"_But Alicia, you can't control your power! It's too dangerous!"_

_As Welkin walked toward her, Alicia swung her lance in a quick motion. The Sevens recoiled as a wall of blue flame sprouted inches in front of Welkin, who stumbled back in surprise. The flames quickly subsided with a quick motion from Alicia's lance._

"_Does it look like I'm not in control, Lieutenant Gunther?" Alicia asked icily._

"_Alicia, what's gotten into you?" shouted Rosie. "You almost fried the boss!"_

"_He would be wise to stay away from me, Sergeant Stark, as would the rest of you. Do not get in my way in the coming battle, or I will not hesitate to force you aside."_

_Squad Seven stood stunned at these words. This Valkyria couldn't be the Alicia they had known from Bruhl._

"_Fear not, however, for should you follow my lead, Gallia shall claim victory in the coming battle. That I promise you."_

_Alicia turned around and began to walk away. Standing in tears, Dallas suddenly ran forward and cried, "Miss Alicia! Wait!"_

_As Dallas came within inches of Alicia, the aura of blue flames surrounding her suddenly intensified for a split second. The force of the surge blew Dallas back, screaming as she landed on the ground. The Sevens watched in mute shock as this happened; Welkin could not believe his eyes._

"_Dallas!" said Aika as she slid over to the engineer's side._

_Dallas continued to cry as she pushed herself up. She was physically unharmed, but it was palpable that Alicia's display of power had hurt her emotionally._

"_M-Miss Alicia…" Dallas sobbed._

_As Aika tried to comfort Dallas, Welkin stepped forward, now frustrated, and said, "Alicia, why are you doing this?" Alicia stopped as Welkin walked toward her and continued, "We've been through so much together, but this isn't like you at all! Whatever's happening to you, I want to help you get through it! Alicia–"_

"_Stop calling me that!" Alicia shouted, her aura of fire flaring up for a brief moment as she did. Welkin yelped as he was forced back from Alicia._

_As the flames surrounding her receded, Alicia turned to Welkin. Small tears were trickling down her face, despite the blue fire that surrounded her body. Then, Welkin watched as Alicia planted her lance into the ground, reached up, and unfastened the red scarf that covered her now-silver hair. As her long hair flowed down her sides, her pigtails coming undone, Alicia tossed the red scarf aside as though it were a rag. Welkin stared in disbelief as the red cloth floated downward while Alicia drew her lance from the ground._

_In an almost proud tone, Alicia declared, "Alicia Melchiott is dead. I am a Valkyria, not a woman. That life has passed."_

_As Alicia turned away, Welkin slowly knelt down and grasped her scarf in his hand. It pained him to see the sentimental piece of clothing cast aside so callously by its owner._

_Squad Seven watched silently as the Valkyria strode away from them._

* * *

Welkin grimaced at the memory. Why was Alicia doing this? For an odd reason, Welkin couldn't shake the feeling that Alicia was somehow doing this to spite him. But why would she do this to him?

Ahead of Squad Seven, Alicia continued to advance toward Selvaria. Seeing that Selvaria too was advancing toward her, Alicia stopped for a moment, prompting the Gallians behind her to stop as well.

Turning to the soldiers, Alicia shouted, "Sons of Gallia! Today we free ourselves from the oppression of the Imperial Army! Ghirlandaio stands before you, grasped by the hands of the enemy! I ask that you show them no mercy, for they will show you none!"

Gallia's soldiers roared valorously to Alicia's call to arms. But none of Squad Seven did; they found it hard to believe that Alicia was acting this way.

"Alicia…" Welkin said silently as he clutched the girl's red scarf in his hand.

"Leave the Azure Witch to me, Sons of Gallia, and crush those who would follow her! Let not a son of the Empire be spared Gallia's wrath!"

Again, the Gallian Army roared with approval. On Ghirlandaio's walls, the Imperials braced themselves for the inevitable attack.

Then, Alicia turned as Selvaria shouted, "You speak so boldly, Scion of Gallia! You speak as though I am certain to die at your hands! You are wrong. Before this day is done, you shall be not but ashes upon the wind!"

Selvaria directed her lance at Alicia, brimming with energy, and unleashed a devastating beam at her and the Gallian Army. As the Gallians ran away from the beam, Alicia raised her shield to the threat, projecting a blue barrier before her. The beam struck the barrier in a brilliant flash of light, but Alicia held off the attack.

The beam soon passed. From where she stood, Selvaria watched as the dust cleared around Alicia. She still stood strong, lowering her barrier as she rushed forward.

Readying her lance, Selvaria said, "Your Grace, I will not fail you again."

Selvaria shouted as she charged at Alicia. Their lances met in an earth-shaking clash, neither giving an inch. Then, Selvaria swung her shield at Alicia, catching her off guard and bashing her in the face. Alicia was forced to defend as Selvaria made several quick jabs at her.

For a moment, the Gallians and Imperials watched as the two clashed. But then, from his place at the rear of the formation, General Damon shouted, "DON'T JUST STAND THERE WATCHING! ALL FORCES, ATTACK!"

The Gallians surged forward at Ghirlandaio. The Imperials opened fire. The siege had begun.

* * *

Cezary watched as the battle started. Both Valkyria clashed with one another in a display of azure fire and light. Tanks rolled behind lines of infantry, their cannons blaring as they exchanged shells. Bullets flew all over the place, from trench to trench, accompanied by the screaming and shouting of men and women.

On the eastern side of the canyon leading to Ghirlandaio, Squad Seven began entering the trenches, covered by the Edelweiss and the Shamrock. Cezary wanted to take a shot at the Edelweiss, but knew that the rifle he held wouldn't even leave a paint scratch on the well-armored tanks. He'd have to make due with other targets.

Taking aim down into the canyon, a minimum 450 meter shot from his position, Cezary centered his sights on Walter Nash, a Squad Seven lancer. Cezary had always known Walter as being overconfident in his abilities, which were sorely lacking. He was an eyesore, making himself an easy target as he stood outside the trenches.

"So long, Nash."

The GSR cracked. An instant later, Walter fell as the bullet entered his head. Next to him, Jane shouted, "Ah shit! Nash is down!"

"Snipers! Get your heads down!" Largo bellowed.

The other Sevens quickly began running for the trenches, keeping their heads hidden from other possible snipers. Cezary was satisfied, however; creating fear was part of the sniper's role. The more Squad Seven was forced to keep its head down, the less of a threat it would be.

Cezary was also left marveling at how accurate the GSR-XXX was. His older GSR-XXR tended to lose some accuracy at distances around 500 meters due to wind resistance, but the newer GSR's round had flown straight as an arrow. Nash had been at least 600 meters away. The rifle's accuracy was impressive, to say the least.

"I'm gonna like this thing," Cezary said as he reloaded the rifle.

Taking aim at an officer from the Regulars, Cezary fired again.

* * *

Shells and bullets whistled through the air above Rosie's head, which she kept down low in a trench. Behind her were Cherry, Nadine, Ramona and Julius, all who also kept their heads down. Each one was doing whatever they could to stay hidden as they slowly made their way to a gatehouse at the foot of Ghirlandaio's wall.

After what seemed like an eternity, the team reached the gate. Miraculously, the Imperials weren't paying attention to them, too focused on the bulk of the Gallian Army. Rosie was thankful of this; she couldn't afford to lose any teammates at the time.

As much as Rosie wanted to be in the trenches helping the other Sevens, she and her group had an important mission on their hands. They were to infiltrate Ghirlandaio's walls, make their way to the eastern tower, and secure it, eliminating any enemy snipers and threats as needed. This objective had been run by Rosie and her team nearly a dozen times now, so they all knew the plan.

But as of the previous day, Rosie had been given another mission from Welkin. If it were possible, Rosie was to find and rescue Marina. She would've done it even if it weren't an order.

Turning to Nadine, Rosie said, "Do it."

Nodding, Nadine pulled the pin on her smoke grenade and tossed it at the opening in the gate. Seconds later, the gate was engulfed in a cloud of smog.

"After me, kiddos!" Rosie shouted, rushing into the smokescreen. The others followed close behind her.

Emerging from the smoke behind a supply truck, Rosie did her best to stay hidden as she made her way to a building that connected to Ghirlandaio's interior. Sneaking over to an iron door, Rosie tried the handle, but quickly discovered that the door was locked. She had expected this, however. Looking back, she saw the rest of her team come out of the smoke, led by Cherry.

"Everyone alright?" Rosie asked loudly, yet without shouting.

"Sure thing, Rosie," said Cherry.

"Good. Nadine, blow the door."

Nadine took out a grenade as she snuck up to the door. Jamming the grenade into the door handle, Nadine pulled the cord and ran back as she said, "Fire in the hole!"

The grenade blew the door right off its hinges. Rosie rushed into the room, quickly spotting two wounded Imperials trying to recover from the blast. She quickly mowed them down with her Mags MXXII.

"Clear! Come on, let's go!"

Rosie's team advanced into the darkness of Ghirlandaio's corridors.

* * *

Ducking in a trench next to Knute and two Regulars, Theold was angrily keeping his head down. The Imperials seemed to have it out for him; four different riflemen had targeted him in the past two minutes, though three were now dead.

Peering out of the trench, Theold saw to his surprise that Alicia was struggling to keep up with Selvaria's relentless assault. It was exactly the opposite of what Theold expected to see; sources said that the Imperial Valkyria had been easily defeated by Gallia's Valkyria at Naggiar, but now the opposite was happening.

"What is she doing?" Theold shouted. "Why doesn't she just finish her off?"

"Why are you asking me?" Knute answered. "I do not know and I do not intend to waste my energies thinking about it."

"Shut it! Just load me up, alright?"

Knute, deciding it would be pointless to bicker with the newer lancer, took a Lancaar round out of his pack and loaded it into Theold's lance. But as he finished, he was surprised to see that Theold was taking aim at Selvaria.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Heh, I kill that witch, and I'll be a hero!"

"You cannot be serious."

Ignoring Knute's opinion, Theold directed his Lancaar at Selvaria. The two Valkyria presently had their lances locked together, trying to overpower each other. A second later, the rocket screamed out of Theold's Lancaar.

But Selvaria heard it coming. She shoved hard, knocking Alicia back, and then kicked her away. Spinning around, Selvaria swung her lance at the Lancaar round, batting it away. The round spun out of control as it slammed into Ghirlandaio's wall.

Theold was initially shocked to see his shot had been deflected, but now looked on in horror as Selvaria's lance fired a blast of blue flame at him. The lancer barely managed to move an inch before the blast struck him, exploding on impact. In the blink of an eye, Theold was disintegrated.

Knute, who was next to Theold, had tried to run when he saw Selvaria aiming at them. But he was not fast enough; the azure flames washed over Knute as he screamed. The engineer toppled to the ground with severe burns across his body. Two fragments of rock had also dug deeply into his back. Opposite where Theold had been, the two Regulars were incinerated by the explosion.

Nearby, Mintz looked on in shock as Knute lay limp on the ground. The Darcsen had watched Theold's death, and now, frozen in shock, he could only watch as Knute's life was leaving him. The sight of it brought back horrible memories of what Selvaria had done at Barious; the smell and sounds only intensified the memories.

Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Mintz jumped down into the trench and scurried over to Knute's side. Upon seeing the extent of Knute's injuries, Mintz knew he couldn't save him.

"Knute, hang in there! Just hang on!"

"What a… waste… Now I can't…" Knute gagged his last breath as his head slumped over.

"Knute? Knute?"

Mintz tried to stir Knute, but the engineer gave no reaction. Mintz lowered his head in mourning; Knute was gone.

In the middle of the battlefield, Alicia screamed as she fired a flurry of blue blasts at Selvaria. Spinning around, Selvaria skillfully deflected the shots with her lance and shield. Then, with another loud shout, Alicia unleashed a powerful beam at Selvaria. Selvaria dashed away from the beam, which struck the ground harmlessly.

Surprised at Selvaria's dodge, Alicia was forced to hastily block a counterstrike from her. The powerful blow sent Alicia flying a short distance back, but she managed to land with a brief stumble.

Wincing in pain, Alicia watched as Selvaria took a stance, readying her lance for a charge.

* * *

From the aerie of Ghirlandaio's eastern tower, Cezary aimed his rifle down at the battlefield. He had seen several of the Sevens, but they were doing a good job at hiding in the trenches and behind clouds of dust and smoke. Cezary had managed to snipe down a few Gallians so far, but it wasn't amounting to much.

Looking down at the duel between Selvaria and Alicia, Cezary decided against shooting at Alicia. The last time he had tried it, it had almost cost him his life. Besides, Selvaria was winning; there was no need to risk his own neck.

Then, as Cezary ducked back behind the fortifications, another thought came to mind. The whole battle was creating a world of confusion for both the Gallians and Imperials. As a sniper, he had been taught to thrive on confusion; it was very useful for letting one escape or hide.

But for Cezary, this was also a problem: Marina had also been taught to thrive on chaos. And she was very good at it.

Cezary slid over to a nearby radio and began adjusting its frequency.

* * *

Marina wondered why her escorts had stopped. The sergeant had his hand to his earpiece, leaving his two subordinates just as confused.

"Sergeant, change of plans," Cezary said through the earpiece. "General Bles doesn't want to take any chances with the prisoner. Kill her."

"I heard nothing about this from the general," the sergeant answered.

"You want to ask her about this? Be my guest and distract her while she's fighting Gallia's Valkyria. You heard me; General Bles said to kill the prisoner! NOW!"

Marina watched as the sergeant grimaced. She hadn't heard the transmission, but guessed what it meant: they were to execute her on the spot.

Cocking his pistol, the sergeant turned to Marina and said, "Change of plans. I'll be sure to make this quick for you. Now just– UGH!"

Before the sergeant finished his sentence, Marina had attacked. On the floor now were a set of ropes, which had been cut, and a small shard of pottery stained lightly with blood.

With her hands free, Marina rushed forward, slamming her body weight into the sergeant and knocking him back. But as she did, her hands grasped the pistol and she wrenched it away from him.

Startled, the other two guards raised their rifles to shoot Marina. They were too slow; in quick succession, Marina fired a quick shot into each of them. Both dropped to the floor with bullets in their heads.

Still maintaining her momentum, Marina swung back around and smashed the sergeant in the head with the butt of his own gun. The sergeant went down quickly, lying on his back.

Looking up in a daze, the sergeant saw Marina aim the pistol straight at him. "No! No, DON–"

* * *

A loud bang echoed through Cezary's earpiece following the sound of a struggle, which had involved two other similar sounds.

"What's going on down there? Respond! What the hell is happening?"

No one responded.

Growling furiously, Cezary stormed away from his position as he shouted, "I have had it with that BITCH!"

* * *

Rosie slowly peered around a corner. Seeing that the coast was clear, she signaled for the others to advance behind her. The group followed Rosie as she made her way toward an iron door leading to a set of stairs. Unless she had gotten herself lost, Rosie was told that it would lead down into Ghirlandaio's lower levels. Down there, they would be able to find Marina and rescue her.

Rosie tried to the door handle. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. Turning to Ramona, Rosie said, "Linton, get this lock."

"Huh?" Ramona said, confused. "Nadine's got all the grenades, Rosie."

"You wanna let the Imps know we're here? Get over here and pick the lock."

"What? Whyyy me?"

"You're the one who's always sneaking into town at night."

Before Ramona could protest further, Julius said, "Stop complaining and do your job, Linton."

Ramona, realizing she didn't really have a choice, scowled at Julius as she moved over to the door to look at the lock. Immediately she was disgusted by the job; the door was covered in grime and rust, though the lock was still solid. It was then that she realized something.

"Uhhh, guys? I don't have anything to pick this with. Anyone got a bobby pin or something?"

Rosie sighed in disbelief. She was tempted to just blow open the door, but she wanted to keep the group hidden for as long as possible. Then, looking at Ramona, she got an idea.

"Huh? Hey, Rosie! What the hell!"

Rosie had pulled out Ramona's hairpins, causing the scout's stylized spiral to come loose. Ramona's strawberry blonde hair was now in a wild mess.

In a fit of rage, Ramona hissed at Rosie, "Do you have any idea how long it takes to get my hair like that?"

"Suck it up!" Rosie retorted, shoving the hairpins into Ramona's hand.

In a huff, Ramona turned to the lock and began to pick at it.

* * *

Musaad kept his head down in a trench as bullets whizzed over the top. As he reloaded his Gallian-SXX, he briefly looked to his sides. Nina was to his left, taking potshots at the Imperials, while six other Gallians stood beside both of them. As he looked to his right, however, Musaad saw a young man from Squad Three take a rifle round to his head. The poor lad dropped to the trench floor without even a whimper.

The veteran found it ironic that he was back at Ghirlandaio. He had participated in its defense when the Empire first took it at the start of the war. During that battle, General Damon had attempted to use large quantities of Ragnite Gas to defeat the Imperials, but the effort had failed. The official story was that the Imperials had used the gas, but Musaad knew this was just to cover Damon's tracks. If the general was good at anything, Musaad thought, it was making up a good alibi.

Just then, the blast from a grenade near the trench snapped Musaad's mind back to the fight. He turned to Nina, who had ducked back into the trench and was in the middle of reloading her Mags MXX.

"Dammit, there's no end to this!" shouted Nina.

"I hear ya, Nina!" Musaad replied. Then, one of the Regulars next to them took a round to his neck. Seeing this, Musaad shouted, "Watch the right!"

Turning, Nina saw three Imperial scouts trying to rush their position, followed by a lancer with a Lancaar-SH MX. Swinging around her submachine gun, the athletic shock trooper unleashed a barrage of rounds that cut two of the scouts down. But just as she fired at the third one, the Imperial lancer launched a mortar round.

"INCOMI–"

The explosive impacted in the trench next to Nina and Musaad. Shrapnel ripped into Nina's torso, while Musaad took a piece of metal to his back. Toppling over, Musaad struck his head on the side of the trench, and then fell to the floor, unconscious. The Gallians that were with them each took shards of metal to their limbs and chest.

Nearby, Largo saw the explosion at Musaad's position. "Musaad!"

Infuriated, Largo raised his Theimer MXI and fired a round at the lancer who had just hit Musaad's position. The round struck the lancer directly, blowing him to pieces. With the enemy gone, Largo tossed away the spent lance and crept quickly down the trench, picking up a Gallian-SX off the body of a Regular. Behind him, Dorothy and Hannes followed closely, along with two other Gallian soldiers.

A few seconds later, Largo saw Musaad on the floor of the trench, bleeding from a gash in his forehead and a piece of shrapnel in his back. Past him, three more Regular Army soldiers were down from the explosion, one who was in pieces. The stench of blood was nauseating, but Largo was used to it by now.

"Medic!" Largo bellowed. "Howard, Salinger, covering fire!"

Dorothy and Hannes immediately rose up in the trench and opened fire on any Imperials they could see. Behind them, the other Gallians did the same. Meanwhile, Largo slowly moved up to check the other Gallians for possible survivors. None of them had stood a chance from the explosion.

Then, he saw Nina face down in the trench, hit by at least five pieces of shrapnel in her torso. She was probably killed immediately by the mortar round.

"Dammit!"

A few moments later, a medic from the militia showed up, one Largo didn't recognize. He was probably a new recruit, but he quickly went to work on Musaad. To Largo's relief, the young medic knew what he was doing.

A rifle round suddenly impacted on the rim of the trench, a few inches from Largo's head. Instinctively, Largo ducked down into the trench, then lifted up his rifle and fired blindly at an Imperial-occupied machinegun nest.

Then, as she rose to take a shot, Dorothy screamed as a sniper round struck her in the shoulder. She toppled into the trench, crying out in agony. Largo grimaced as the medic quickly slid over to Dorothy, assessing her wound.

The situation was quickly turning into a suicide mission.

* * *

Now in the lower levels of Ghirlandaio, Rosie kept her ears and eyes peeled for any sign of Imperial movement. But as her team came into a junction point, Rosie stopped, looking in each direction the junction split.

"Rosie? What is it?" asked Nadine.

"Shut up a sec! Lemme think…" Rosie hissed. Then, in a defeated tone, she said, "Dammit, Nadine, give me the map. These tunnels all look alike."

Nadine reached into her pack to search for the map she had been given of Ghirlandaio's interior.

Next to them, Ramona turned to Cherry and whispered, "I can't believe this! My hair… Ugh, I look like such a tramp."

"Don't worry, Ramona," said Cherry. "I'll fix you riiight up."

As Cherry stood behind Ramona, trying to fix the latter's hair problem, Julius continued to listen for any sounds. Then, he heard it: at least two Imperial voices close by. The voices were getting louder; they were getting closer.

"Hey, hey, careful, Cherry!" Ramona muttered. Cherry was having difficulty seeing what she was doing due to the poor lighting in the tunnels.

"Just hooold still a sec, Ramona," said Cherry. "Stop fidgeting so–"

"OW! Cherry! Watch it!" Cherry had accidentally pricked Ramona's skin with one of the hairpins.

Rosie, initially startled by Ramona's scream, was alerted to the sound of Imperial voices nearby. They had heard them; their alarmed shouting made that fact clear. The two scouts had blown their cover.

A second later, two Imperial shock troopers emerged in one of the hallways. Three more appeared further down the hall from other corridors.

"Get to cover, now!" Rosie shouted as she dashed for cover.

The group scrambled behind cover as the Imperials opened fire on them.

After quickly firing a blind burst down the hallway, Rosie shouted, "Nice going, Linton!"

Just as Ramona was about to retort, she heard more Imperial voices coming from one of the other hallways. Ramona turned and fired as two scouts appeared, hitting one in the leg.

* * *

Alicia yelped as a blow from Selvaria's lance slammed into her shield, knocking the girl back a few meters. Alicia barely managed to keep her footing, but Selvaria was already rushing her again. Selvaria's lance swung in a crescent arc as Alicia leapt away from the blow, using the momentum from Selvaria's previous blow.

Out of range for a melee attack, Selvaria directed her lance at Alicia and unleashed a blast of blue flame from the weapon. Alicia was forced to dash away from the shot, which instead struck a Gallian tank, obliterating it.

Then, Alicia heard a Regular Army officer shout, "All gunners, target the enemy Valkyria! Fire at will!"

"You fools! Don't!" Alicia screamed, but her cries went unheeded.

Five tanks from the Regular Army directed their cannons at Selvaria and fired, sending explosive shells careening at her. Selvaria raised her shield, projecting a blue barrier around her that blocked every shell the tanks fired. At the same time, dozens of Regulars aimed their rifles and submachine guns at the Valkyria and unleashed a torrent of bullets. The attack had no effect.

"Fools…" Selvaria raised her lance, which spiraled as it charged with energy. "DIE!"

Alicia was forced to leap away as a massive stream of energy surged from Selvaria's lance, which she directed in a fan-shaped sweep. Everything that was in the path of Selvaria's attack was disintegrated.

As she finished her attack, Selvaria looked up to see Alicia diving at her from above, howling as she thrust her lance forward. Selvaria immediately countered with a hard slash, a blow that sent Alicia flying with a loud shriek.

* * *

Welkin watched from the Edelweiss as Alicia crashed to the ground. As the dust cleared, he could see blood trailing down her face.

It was more than Welkin could bear to watch. He wanted so badly to turn the Edelweiss' cannon against Selvaria, but he knew it would amount to nothing. Nothing the rest of the Gallian Army had could hope to stand up to Selvaria. Already Knute and Theold had been killed attempting to attack Selvaria; he didn't want to lose anyone else in such an effort.

But another part of him knew that Alicia was, at this rate, going to perish unless someone helped her. Alicia, however, seemed to be trying to keep anyone from assisting her, wishing to face Selvaria alone.

Knowing he could not help Alicia at the time, Welkin turned his attention back to the battle. Targeting an Imperial machinegun nest, the Edelweiss sent a mortar round careening into the pit, blowing it and its occupants to pieces.

* * *

Entering a small hallway, Marina aimed a stolen ZM Kar 5 down the darkened corridor, watching for any movement. The shuddering and echoing booms caused by the outside battle, however, weren't helping her in trying to discern any threats.

Marina was in a bad position. It wasn't going to take long for the Imperials to start searching for her. She had to keep moving if she was to have any chance of escape. The problem was, however, that Marina feared she was lost in the catacombs. When the Imperials had brought her down to the prison, she had been blindfolded so that she wouldn't be able to retrace her steps.

Fortunately, Marina had managed to obtain an Imperial rifle, a pistol, but she had little ammo for either weapon. Most important, however, was that she had taken an earpiece radio off one of her escorts, so she was able to listen to Imperial radio chatter. Voices of Imperial officers giving out orders rang in her ear as she continually adjusted the frequency of the earpiece, trying to tap into a Gallian signal.

Suddenly, Marina heard a familiar voice. "Cherry… got him?"

"Got'em, Rosie … totally … clear …" came Cherry's distorted voice.

"Not … still need to … Marina and … hell outta …"

Static was flooding Marina's ear. The walls of Ghirlandaio were probably causing interference with the radio.

Marina slowly turned the dial on her earpiece, trying to get a clearer signal. Within seconds, the static subsided, but only somewhat.

"Rosie, this is Marina. Do you copy?" Marina said in a loud whisper.

"Marina? Is that you? I can barely hear you. Cherry, boost the signal!" Rosie's voice was muffled by static, but Marina was able to make out her words.

An echoing sound caught Marina's attention, prompting her to instinctively turn toward the sound and raise her rifle. There was no one down the hallway, but Marina suspected she wasn't alone.

Then, the static in her earpiece began to clear further.

"Marina, this is Rosie. Do you copy?

"I'm here, Stark," Marina answered.

With a short laugh, Rosie said, "Damn glad to hear your voice."

"About time you guys showed up…"

"We're patching in the boss. Hang on a sec."

A small moment of silence passed. Then, Marina could hear the distant sounds of battle through the earpiece.

Through the earpiece, Welkin's voice came in. "Marina, are you alright?"

"For now, sir," Marina responded, her attention not entirely focused on the transmission.

"Where are you?"

"Bottom level, dungeons, not exactly sure where…" Marina's eyes narrowed as she added, "And I've got company…"

At that moment, Marina saw a group of shadows coming down the hallway, which were accompanied by the chatter of Imperial soldiers.

* * *

Kneeling down, Rosie heard the sound of Imperial shouting from Marina's position, followed by several gunshots. She could hear the gunshots echoing through the tunnels, but couldn't pinpoint exactly where they were.

"Dammit, she's got trouble!"

"Marina, can you hold your position?" said Welkin.

"…I'll try…"

"Rosie, find her as fast as you can!"

"Got it! Let's move!" Rosie said loudly, so the others could hear.

Rosie rushed off while the others followed as quickly as they could.

* * *

The sound of cannon fire continued to echo in the distance, heard even from within the prison cells where Captain Varrot and Catherine sat. Outside their cell, only a single guard, a second lieutenant from the Regular Army, was left on duty.

As she sat next to the bars, Catherine said, "We should be out there, Elle. The others… they need our help."

"Catherine, it was your own fault that we are in this predicament," Varrot said coldly.

"I know, I know, Elle. I just… I had to do something about him. But I blew it, and you're paying the price because I screwed up."

"Hey, old maids! Shut up!" said the guard, having overheard their conversation.

Catherine shot a nasty look at the guard, but he wasn't intimidated by her. With a sigh, Catherine continued to mull over how badly things had gone.

Then, the sound approaching footsteps caught Catherine's attention. It also caught the attention of the guard, who turned to the entrance. A shadow was outside the room.

A moment later, to Catherine's surprise, Juno walked in. Her face seemed darker than usual, drained of color.

"Juno? What's she…"

The guard immediately got to his feet and advanced toward her. "Hey, this area's off-limits, peasant! Scram!"

"I just wanted to see a friend for a bit," said Juno, her voice lacking any real energy.

"No one is allowed to see the prisoners. General Damon's orders. Now beat it!"

"Please, just for a minute?"

"Hmm, maybe," said the guard, grinning lecherously. "But it's gonna cost you." Then, as Juno moved to reach for her pockets, the guard grabbed Juno's wrists and added, "I ain't interested your money, cutie."

To Catherine's horror, Juno struggled to get away from the guard, but he was too strong. The guard shoved Juno back, causing her to strike her head against a wall. Juno was knocked senseless, allowing the guard to wrap one of his hands around both of Juno's wrists and hoist her arms over her head, pinning her to the wall.

Rattling the bars to her cell, Catherine shouted, "Get away from her!"

Varrot, who stood next to Catherine, added, "Guard, you will release that girl this instant!"

The guard, too busy struggling with Juno, ignored the two prisoners. Juno, having regained her senses, was now screaming for help as she tried to free herself.

"Stop it! Let go! Let me go!"

"Shut up! You wanna see your friends in there, right?" As Juno stopped screaming, the guard added, "That's right. Just be a good peasant girl for a couple of minutes, and I'll let you see them. Got it?"

Juno, her face stricken with embarrassment and shame, made a short nod. She had to help to Catherine, and if this was the price, she'd pay it. In either case, she couldn't break free of the guard's grip; she didn't have a choice either way. If she cooperated, she had a better chance of helping Catherine.

Seeing Juno's nod, Catherine shouted, "Juno, don't!"

"That's a good girl," said the guard with a snicker.

Smiling lecherously, the guard moved his right hand to Juno's left breast, grasping it. Juno gasped as the guard groped her, her face turning red. After a moment of the guard's fondling, she watched in mortification as he reached for her belt and began to unfasten it. Juno shut her eyes tightly, unable to endure the thought that she would soon be raped…

Suddenly, the guard made a short gasp of pain, which had been preceded by a sickening crack. Surprised, Juno watched as the guard toppled away from her, releasing his grip on her wrists.

"S-Susie?"

Standing behind where the guard had been was Susie Evans, holding a now-broken desk lamp in her hands. She had apparently struck the guard from behind with it. She was breathing heavily and held a look of shock on her face.

"A-Are you alright, Juno?" asked Susie.

Sighing in relief, Juno said, "A lot better now. What about you? What are you doing here?"

In her usual meek voice, Susie said, "I-I couldn't just let him do to you what happened to me…"

Juno remembered how Susie had been raped by Giorgios Geld, an experience that had surely scarred the poor girl for life. Susie had been taken off the active roster as a result. Juno realized then just how lucky she was by comparison.

"Thanks, Susie. I owe you one. Honestly, I hoped it would be easier to get past this guy. If it weren't for you…" Juno decided not to finish her sentence as she set right the damage the guard had done to her clothing.

Susie sniffled as she wiped a tear from her eye. She then looked down remorsefully at the guard as Juno knelt down and took his keys. Susie loathed violence, but she didn't have another choice in that case.

As Juno walked up to the cell door and opened it, Catherine asked, "Juno, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine, Catherine. Now come on, I'm getting the two of you out of here."

"Sergeant Coren, I hope you realize what you are doing," said Varrot.

"Yeah, I do, Captain. I'm doing what I feel I have to do to help Welkin. Listen, I heard the two of you arguing last night, and personally I agree with Catherine. Something needs to be done about General Damon now."

"Sergeant, I did not disagree with Catherine's opinion," Varrot said sternly. "What I did not agree with, however, was her trying to kill the general in cold blood!"

"I don't agree with it either, ma'am," Juno said in agreement. "But you can't just sit by and wait until you get back to Randgriz to do something about him! Couldn't you at least put him under arrest or something?"

"That, Sergeant Coren, would be mutiny."

"Count me in, Juno," said Catherine. "Anything to see that bastard behind bars."

Somewhat appalled, Varrot asked, "Catherine, do you know what will happen if we attempt something so reckless?"

"If it keeps Damon from trying to kill us in our sleep, I say it's the lesser of two evils. Come on, Elle, if not that, what else can we do?"

Varrot paused for a moment. The idea of mutiny wasn't one she could decide on lightly. If it failed, she would likely face a death penalty, and several more people could be caught up in the ordeal as well. On the other hand, if Damon was allowed to continue running loose, he was likely to continue his attempts to silence them.

Sighing, Varrot said, "Very well, but I will need to speak with the other militia officers on this matter. If the worst should happen, I will need to be the one to take full responsibility for this."

"The hell you will, Elle!" said Catherine. "Juno, Susie, let's get out of here."

The four left the stockade, leaving the guard unconscious on the floor.

* * *

An Imperial stepped out from behind a corner, firing his ZM Kar 4 down the concrete hallway. After his two shots, one bullet struck him in the neck, sending him to the floor as his throat filled with blood.

"Chritz! Damn you!" shouted a second Imperial, who fired furiously at the first one's assailant.

Ducking behind a wall, Marina patiently waited to strike as bits of stone chipped off the side of the corner. With so little ammunition, she had to pick her shots carefully. Worse, the ZM Kar 5 was living up to its reputation as an inaccurate weapon. She did have her stolen pistol, but compared to her Colt, the weapon was sorely lacking in terms of accuracy. Imperial weaponry emphasized power rather than precision.

A fifth shot from the Imperial's rifle rang out. The Imperial's clip was empty. Marina swung out from cover and fired two rounds, both hitting the Imperial in the chest. The soldier went down quickly, dying as he hit the floor.

Then, a burst of submachine gun fire from a ZM MP 5 peppered Marina's position, forcing her to hide again. The shots stopped just as she hid; this Imperial shock trooper was not as trigger-happy as his counterparts. Marina guessed he still had some shots left in his gun. Attacking now would be suicide.

Oddly enough, Marina didn't hear the soldier approaching her position. She quickly realized what the shock trooper was up to upon hearing a clicking sound. She dashed away from the corner as a grenade flew into the room. The grenade exploded, sending shrapnel in all directions. Marina was knocked off balance by the shockwave.

Lying on the floor, Marina checked herself. To her relief, none of the shrapnel pieces had hit her, though some had come close. Then, a second later, Marina heard rapid footsteps approaching. She aimed at the corridor just as the shock trooper entered the room, expecting to find her wounded or dead from the grenade.

The reality was quite the opposite. The shock trooper barely had a moment to look at Marina before she shot him in the head. The Imperial's submachine gun sprayed rounds as he fell, though the shots went wide, missing Marina.

Panting loudly, Marina got to her feet. She had to keep moving and hope to meet up with Rosie. She otherwise wasn't likely to last long.

In the distance, Marina could hear more Imperials shouting. She quickly made her way down a nearby corridor. A few seconds later, Marina exited into another room lined with pipes.

Out of nowhere, the lancer struck, roaring as he bludgeoned Marina with his shoulder. Marina was knocked back, dropping her rifle as she landed on the ground. As the lancer tried to stomp on her, Marina rolled away, retaliating with a kick to his legs. The blow had no effect. She swung a second kick to his gut; no effect.

The lancer grinned as he reached down and grabbed Marina by her jacket, lifting her off the ground with one arm. Marina got a good look at him; though his face was masked by his helmet, the lancer was comparable in size to Largo. He was also as strong as he was large. Marina, of a much smaller frame, knew she had little chance in a hand-to-hand fight.

Marina reached for her pistol and drew it, but the lancer saw this. He batted the gun out of her hand, and then grasped her jacket with both hands as she tried to pry herself free of his grip. With a heave, the lancer tossed her. Marina yelped as she flew into a set of pipes, falling to the ground with a loud thud.

* * *

Rosie ducked behind a wall as rifle rounds flew at her, then stuck out her Mags and fired a blind burst. Opposite her, behind another corner, Cherry watched as Nadine readied a grenade. As Rosie fired another blind burst, Nadine took the opportunity to throw her grenade. The device exploded between a pair of Imperial soldiers, annihilating them.

Just at that moment, Rosie heard Ramona shout, "On our six!"

Ramona fired at an Imperial shock trooper, striking him in the upper chest. She then turned to fire at another one, but realized too late that she had already emptied her clip. To her relief, the scout took a sniper round to his head from Julius.

"Thanks, Jules," said Ramona as she slid a new clip into her rifle.

Julius did not reply, choosing instead to reload his own rifle now that the enemies had been dealt with. The look on his face showed he wasn't interested in Ramona's praise. Then, Rosie gestured for the group to follow her. Rosie took point as the group descended deeper into the catacombs.

"Jeez, he's still such a creep," Ramona whispered to Cherry.

"I know, Ramona," Cherry replied. "Doesn't even say "you're welcome" when he saves your life. Hasn't he ever heard of manners?"

"Hey, shut it, you two!" Rosie hissed. "We don't need more Imps finding us because you can't keep your mouths shut!"

"Sorrrryyyy…" both girls responded simultaneously in embarrassment.

Just then, a loud, familiar scream echoed through the tunnels.

"What was that?" Cherry asked nervously.

Rosie had recognized the scream. Immediately she rushed off in its direction. The others, a little startled by her sudden action, chased after her.

* * *

Marina yelped again as she was, for a third time, thrown against a wall, and again she fell to the ground. The lancer was giving her a severe beating, and she had barely managed to scratch him. Not only was he much stronger than her, but his armor protected him quite well from any hand-to-hand attacks. Without a gun, she had no way to kill him; she hadn't been able to find a knife on any of the guards she had killed.

The lancer had also blocked any attempts Marina made to escape, as well as any attempts to retrieve her stolen firearms. In addition to being large, the Imperial was surprisingly fast. This man, Marina thought, knew what he was doing.

The lancer neared Marina, cracking his knuckles eagerly as she got up again. He swung a fist at Marina, which she dodged. She then grabbed his arm and tried to place the lancer in a hold, but a strong jerk of his arm foiled Marina's attempt. The lancer countered, backhanding Marina and sending her stumbling back into a water pipe. The impact sent Marina to the ground again on her hands and knees.

As Marina tried to stand up, the lancer got behind her and wrapped his right arm around her neck, pressing his left palm against the back of her head. Marina attempted to pry herself free of the lancer's choke hold, but he was too strong. She gasped for air as she struggled, drudging her feet across the floor toward a nearby wall. She and the lancer soon faced the wall, barely half a meter away.

Lightheadedness began to settle in. Marina's body began to go numb, and she felt her lungs were about to burst. She knew this was a bad sign; she only had seconds to escape before she either suffocated or had her neck broken.

With a loud scream, Marina lifted her legs and kicked against the wall. The force of the move knocked the surprised Imperial lancer onto his back, also causing him to lose his grip on Marina. The sniper tumbled over him, landing face down barely a foot away.

Trying to catch her breath, adrenaline rushing through her, Marina scrambled to her feet. The lancer rolled onto his front and looked up at Marina as he too scrambled to get up. His helmet had fallen off, revealing a grizzled face. Marina swung a hard punch to the lancer's head, sending him back to the floor.

Not even a second later, Marina was left gasping in pain as she held her hand. The blow she had dealt the tough Imperial was like punching a concrete wall to her, even without his helmet. To her relief, she hadn't broken any of her fingers, though her hand stung terribly.

The lancer roared as he rose up and charged, tackling Marina and sending her to the ground on her back. Before she could try to recover, the lancer had wrapped his fingers around Marina's neck. She tried to kick him off her, but without success.

Gasping for air, Marina stretched her right arm out, desperately trying to find something to strike the lancer with. Then, at the tips of her fingers, she felt the cold metal of her stolen pistol. Her hand desperately reached for it, trying to grab hold of the gun before she suffocated.

Just as she felt her head beginning to go numb, her hand grasped the gun. Instinctively, Marina swung the butt of the weapon to the lancer's temple. The blow was enough to make him flinch and loosen his grip on her. Marina kicked the stunned lancer in his stomach, pushing him away from her.

Then, just as the Imperial had stumbled back a step, Marina had aimed her pistol right at his head. Her face held an uncharacteristic look of frenzied rage.

With an infuriated shout, Marina fired.

The lancer groaned silently as he fell backwards, crashing to the floor. A single bullet hole was in his forehead.

Breathing very heavily, Marina lay on her back for a few seconds. She then slowly got to her feet, keeping her pistol trained on the dead lancer. The adrenaline coursing through her kept her from lowering her gun.

Then, Marina cried out as a hard object struck the back of her head. Her head rang like a bell as stars engulfed anything she could see. She nearly blacked out as she fell forward and hit the floor.

Standing behind her was Cezary, who had just clubbed Marina with the butt of her own rifle. Next to him were two other Imperial soldiers, both with their weapons trained on Marina.

"I gotta hand it to you, Wulfstan, you're one tough bitch to kill," Cezary said nastily as he aimed the sniper rifle at Marina.

Groaning, Marina slowly turned to face Cezary. She had dropped her pistol when Cezary had struck her. She was defenseless.

"Schmidt made you a real nice gun. I'll have to thank him if I see him."

"…Just get it over with…"

As Marina glared at Cezary, who leveled the barrel of the GSR-XXX at her head, he said, "Say hi to the devil when you get to hell, Wulfstan."

Cezary's finger closed around the trigger. Marina refused to flinch or shut her eyes. She wasn't afraid to die.

Suddenly, one of Cezary's escorts screamed as a burst of rounds entered his back. The second Imperial swung around to face the assailant, but was met by another burst from Rosie's Mags MXXII. As Rosie rushed at him, Cezary swung around and took aim at her with the GSR. Just as he pulled the trigger, Rosie knocked the rifle away, causing the shot to hit the ceiling. Rosie smashed Cezary in the face with the butt of her submachine gun. Cezary was sent to the ground on his side, hissing loudly from the pain rushing through his head.

"Had to be you, you prick!" Rosie snapped as she took aim at Cezary. Turning to Marina, she asked, "You alright?"

With a short groan, Marina answered, "Took you long enough, Stark."

"You're welcome. Looks like you had fun down here."

Marina slowly pushed herself up, rubbing the back of her head as Rosie kept her Mags aimed at Cezary. A second later, Cherry, Nadine, Ramona and Julius came running into the room.

"Whoaaa, look, it's Cezary!" said Cherry.

"I knooow. What's this traitor doing here?" Ramona added.

Not taking her eyes off Cezary, Rosie said, "Cherry, radio the boss. Ramona, get his weapons."

While Cherry went to work with her radio, Ramona brought Cezary to his feet at gunpoint. Upon standing up, Cezary slowly turned toward Nadine while Ramona frisked him. His face made it clear that the sight of the Darcsen disgusted him.

"Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse, you bring this dark-haired bitch with you." Nadine's face lit with shock as Cezary added, "I really wish you could've let her die at Vasel, Wulfstan. Just like how you let Gunther die."

Infuriated with Cezary's insult, Nadine angrily raised a fist to strike him. Before she could, Julius caught her by the wrist. Nadine looked to see Julius staring right at her. She got the message, lowering her hand.

"Tch, typical dark-hair," Cezary said with a smirk. Then, turning to Julius, Cezary said, "I always wondered when I'd see you again, Klotz. So what, you've gotten so close to that kid that you're now a dark-hair lover? Pathetic…"

"You're the one to pity, Regard," Julius retorted calmly. "I always thought you were unbearable, but I also believed you were better than this. Seems I was wrong."

"I'll tell you again, Klotz: you can kiss my ass."

Julius said nothing as he turned away from Cezary and glanced at Marina. At that moment, Rosie was busy checking Marina's injuries. She was badly bruised and had leftover cuts from the previous day. Her jacket had been torn in various places, and her hair was a complete mess; for once, both of her eyes were revealed. It was a more intimidating sight than usual for her.

"You look like hell, Marina," said Rosie.

"I'll be fine."

"Hey, Marina? Isn't this yours?" asked Ramona, presenting Marina her Colt and its holster.

Marina took hold of the gun, strapping the holster back around her waist. Finishing, she then took the GSR-XXX from Ramona and a few rounds.

"Those would've made really nice trophies, Wulfstan," said Cezary.

"I bet they would."

Flipping her Colt in her hand, Marina smashed the butt of it into Cezary's face.

* * *

Four Imperials scrambled away from a wall of sandbags as a tank shell plummeted down behind it, blowing the wall and two of the Imperials to smithereens. One of the fleeing Imperials shot back at the Edelweiss, but was mowed down by the tank's coaxial machinegun.

Inside the Edelweiss, Welkin scanned through the Imperial defenses, trying to decide on his next target. In truth, he wanted to help Alicia, but this was the best thing he could think of doing at the moment. The Edelweiss, despite being superior to the Imperial tanks, was no match for a Valkyria.

The Edelweiss shook as a tank round bounced off its armor. Turning the turret, Welkin saw an Imperial medium tank with its cannon aimed at the Edelweiss, trying to move in a strafing run. The Edelweiss returned fire, striking the Imperial tank's hull directly and blowing apart its treads. The Imperial tank screeched to a halt, firing another round at the Edelweiss, yet missing.

Before Welkin could request another shell, a lancer round collided with the Imperial tank, blowing it to pieces. Welkin then heard "He's down, boss!" from Largo in his headset.

"Thanks for the assist, Largo," said Welkin. "What's our status?"

"Real bad. Nina's dead, Musaad and Dorothy are down, and those snipers are still picking us off from the walls. I hate to say it, but we're not gonna hold out much longer at this rate."

At that moment, Rosie's voice came in over the radio. "Boss, this is Rosie. We got Marina. I'm patching her through."

Finally some good news, Welkin thought. After a short pause, Marina's voice sounded in his headset. "Sergeant Marina Wulfstan reporting, sir."

"Marina, are you alright?"

"I can still fight, sir."

"She's a bit beat up, but it's nothing a little Ragnaid can't fix, boss," said Rosie. "Another thing, boss: we caught Cezary."

Surprised, Welkin asked, "Cezary? He's here?"

"Yeah. He was about to put a round in Marina's head when I found her. Don't worry; he's down, at least for now. What do you want us to do with him?"

"Lock him up somewhere for the moment. When this battle is over, we'll take him back to Randgriz to stand trial. Listen, things are getting really bad out here. The Imperials are hammering us from the walls, and the enemy Valkyria is still fighting Alicia. We need those walls cleared of enemy snipers or they'll pick us off the second we leave the trenches."

"We're on it, boss."

"Make it fast. We can't hold out for much longer."

As the transmission ended, Welkin heard Largo launching another rocket from his Theimer.

* * *

Bullets sprayed out of Vyse's Mags MXXII, raking a line of sandbags. A stray shot hit an Imperial scout in his shoulder, dropping him as he screamed. Two other scouts fired back at Vyse, prompting him to take cover in the trench he stood in. Next to him, Aika and Freesia were similarly forced back into cover as bullets impacted near the top of the trench.

"Dammit, there's no end to these guys!" Freesia hissed.

"Tell me about it!" Vyse said enthusiastically. "But these guys don't know who they're messing with, right Aika?" Unexpectedly, Aika didn't respond. "Uh, Aika?"

"Vyse? I think we're in serious trouble."

Turning, Vyse saw that Aika was peeking out of the trench, watching the duel between Alicia and Selvaria. Even from where he was, Vyse could see that Alicia was having trouble standing.

Selvaria took several quick strikes at Alicia, which she desperately parried. Then, in a surprise attack, Selvaria bashed Alicia with her shield, knocking her back several meters. Alicia managed to stop herself from falling, but just barely.

"Ooh, that had to hurt," said Freesia.

"Someone's gotta do something!" said Aika. "She's gonna die at this rate!"

It didn't take long for Aika to regret what she had just said. Next to her, she heard Vyse drop his submachine gun and draw out his two cutlasses. Aika looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Vyse, don't even think about it!"

"Hey, you said someone needs to do something!" said Vyse.

"Yeah, but what you're thinking of doing is suicide! You can't take her on by yourself!"

"Who said pirate boy's going alone?" said Freesia.

Again stunned, Aika turned to see Freesia had drawn her own scimitars. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Oh, god… this is insane…" Aika moaned. "Vyse, this is crazier than anything you've ever done!"

"I know, baby," said Vyse. "Knowing how tough that Valkyria is, this'll probably be the last thing I ever do. But I'm not just gonna sit here and do nothing while Alicia's getting the stuffing beaten out of her! Let's go, Freesia."

As both swordsmen went down the trench, Aika moaned as she decided to follow. "Vyse, wait for me! I swear, if you end up dying on me, I'm taking every bit of treasure you've got!"

* * *

Selvaria blocked several weak thrusts from Alicia's lance, and then countered with a spinning swing, a blow that hit Alicia squarely in the side. Alicia was knocked down by the blow, which left a gash in her side that seeped blood. She struggled to move, but her body was weakening.

Selvaria directed her lance at Alicia, ready to finish her off. Alicia stared back at Selvaria. Was this the end?

Just then, Selvaria heard a strange whooshing sound approaching her. She spun around just in time to see a large, curved piece of wood flying at her. She bashed away the weapon with her shield, causing the boomerang to clatter to the ground as Aika raised her rifle and fired. Aika's rounds were blocked by Selvaria's shield.

A loud shout caught Selvaria's attention. Selvaria swung around and parried a blow from Freesia's scimitars with her shield. Then, slashing at Selvaria from behind with his cutlasses, Vyse entered the fray. Selvaria masterfully caught the blow with her lance, leaving her locked between the two sword fighters.

Selvaria smirked. She hadn't expected a group of teenagers to be crazy enough to fight her in hand-to-hand combat, much less those who had any skill with a blade. She had to admit they were brave, at least.

With a loud shout, Selvaria made a hard spin with her lance and shield, flinging Vyse and Freesia away from her. Vyse fell onto his back, but Freesia nimbly managed to stay standing. Selvaria went after her first, making a hard strike from above. Freesia dodged and made a quick slash at Selvaria, forcing her to parry. Selvaria made several more jabs at Freesia, but the dancer weaved around each blow or parried it, yet she wasn't doing so with any ease. Selvaria could see that Freesia was struggling to keep up.

Selvaria landed a strong kick, sending Freesia crashing to the ground. She then spun around as Vyse jumped up and swung a kick at her, blocking it with her shield. Vyse sprung off the shield and swung his blades in a somersault over her. Selvaria raised her lance to block the surprise attack.

Then, behind Selvaria, Aika shouted, "Outta the way, Vyse!" as she threw her boomerang at the Valkyria. Vyse moved away from Selvaria to avoid being hit.

Selvaria leapt over the boomerang as it flew at her. As she twirled through the air, Selvaria's lance began to shimmer with a bright blue light.

Realizing what Selvaria was about to do next, Vyse shouted, "Spread out!"

It was too late. Selvaria shouted as she thrust her lance at the ground, releasing a large shockwave in all directions. The blast blew Vyse back, sending him crashing right into Aika. Both tumbled into a nearby foxhole.

Freesia, on the other hand, jumped back in a flip, barely keeping her balance as she landed. Then, through the dust, Freesia watched in terror as Selvaria unleashed a quick blast of blue fire at her from her lance. Freesia barely had time to try to dodge before the blast impacted a few feet in front of her. The dancer screamed as she was blown back several meters and hurtled to the ground, rolling several times before stopping. Her blades clattered to the ground gracelessly.

"D-Dammit… I…" Freesia slumped over as she lost consciousness.

Seeing Freesia go down, Vyse roared as he charged out of the foxhole and made a beeline at Selvaria. She turned to face him, directing her lance at Vyse. Just as she fired, Vyse darted to the side, avoiding the blast. Caught by surprise, Selvaria barely managed to parry the blow with her shield.

"You Gallians are persistent," Selvaria hissed. "But you will fall like the rest."

"The thing is, lady, I'm not from Gallia!" Vyse retorted.

In a surprise move, Vyse wrenched his swords away, causing Selvaria to accidentally swing her shield arm outward. Vyse took the chance to slash at Selvaria's shield. Though his blades missed her hand, the Ragnite shield was knocked from Selvaria's grip and crashed to the ground.

Recovering from her astonishment, Selvaria parried a spinning slash from Vyse with her lance, taking a few steps back. Selvaria was impressed by the youth's tenacity. Still, she would defeat him; that much was clear.

Vyse assumed a defensive stance as Selvaria drew her rapier. With a weapon in each hand, Selvaria shouted as she rushed at Vyse, slashing her lance and sword at him.

* * *

Nadine yelped as she ducked behind a corner to avoid a burst of submachine gun fire. Down the corridor, four more Imperials had engaged them on their way to the eastern tower, and more were surely on their way. It wasn't as though she had expected otherwise, however. Ghirlandaio was crawling with Imperial soldiers.

Opposite Nadine, Ramona fired blindly around the corner, trying to suppress the Imperials. Two of them chose to take cover, but the other two were more stubborn, continuing to fire back at the Sevens. However, one of them paid the price as a sniper round from Julius went through his skull. Opposite the dead Imperial, the others stayed behind cover as they reloaded.

Seconds later, one of the Imperials stood up and fired full-auto with his submachine gun at the Sevens. Retaliating, Rosie fired blindly around a corner, hitting the Imperial's stomach and sending him to the floor. The soldier, despite being wounded, tried to draw his pistol so he could continue fighting. Seeing this, Rosie took careful aim and put another burst of rounds into the wounded soldier, finishing him off. At the same time, Marina had centered her crosshairs on the head of a third Imperial soldier. Her rifle sent its round clean through the Imperial's head. The Imperial slumped over as blood began to drip from his helmet.

Hopelessly outmatched, the last Imperial turned and began to run away. He only got three steps, however, before Marina drew her Colt and shot a single round into the back of his head. The soldier dropped dead.

Seeing Marina do this, Ramona said, "Damn, Marina. You must be really pissed off today."

"…"

Ramona quickly decided to avoid any more conversation with Marina. The sniper's stare was enough warning, but seeing it on her in such a disheveled state was even worse.

"Keep that mouth of yours shut, Linton," said Julius, "unless you've got something useful to say."

Ramona scoffed at how rude Julius had been to her. She had half a mind to slap him, but knew she would quickly regret it if she did, and not just due to the fact that he outranked her. She had never liked him, as he always tried to act tough at the expense of courtesy. Mintz was the only person to whom Julius was even the slightest bit nice, and even to him it was a rare occurrence.

A few minutes later, the team reached the entrance to a large elevator, one that ran through the east tower of Ghirlandaio. That was their objective; the west tower was being handled by another militia squad. Time was short, however; the sounds of the battle outside were not encouraging.

As Nadine worked to hotwire the elevator, Cherry asked, "Sooo, now what?"

"We get up there and kick some Imperial ass, that's what!" said Ramona.

Just as Ramona finished, a loud boom echoed through the fortress walls. Though the others wondered what caused it, Marina had caught a small sound before the explosion. She had heard it before from a Valkyrur's lance.

Grimacing, Marina said, "Rosie, I need to get to the top of the tower."

"Huh? Why do ya need to get there, Marina?" Ramona asked.

Rosie, however, already knew Marina's reason, and said, "Got it. I'll get ya there."

"Uh, don't you mean "we", Rosie?" asked Cherry.

"No, I need you guys to mop up any other Imperials on the other floors. Marina and I will get to the top and take over the sniper nest. I think the others are gonna need her up there. You guys meet up with us at the bottom when you're done."

"Got it," said Julius.

"Suuure thing, Rosie," said Cherry.

A few seconds later, Nadine said "Got it!" as she finished hotwiring the elevator. After a short moment, the doors to the elevator rolled open, allowing the group inside.

* * *

Vyse hopped back to avoid a slash from Selvaria's rapier. Breathing heavily, Vyse kept his stance; the battle was taking a lot out of him, but Selvaria didn't show any signs of fatigue. It was, to Vyse's memory, one of the most intense battles he had ever fought in his travels. He feared that it would also be his last battle.

Taking a risk, Vyse leapt at Selvaria and slashed both his cutlasses at her. He quickly realized his mistake as Selvaria swung her lance at him. Vyse caught the blow with his blades, but the sheer force of it sent him careening several meters away, crashing to the ground harshly.

As Vyse tried to recover, Selvaria directed her lance at him, intending to finish him with a final blast. But before she could fire, she heard a voice shout, "Get away from him!"

Turning, Selvaria saw Aika tossing her boomerang at her. Just before the wooden weapon struck her, Selvaria slashed her rapier through it, slicing the boomerang in two. The boomerang halves passed around Selvaria and toppled to the ground.

"What the?" Aika gasped.

Aika quickly raised her rifle and fired at Selvaria. The Valkyria either blocked each shot with her blade or dodged it. Aika's clip ran dry in seconds. Retaliating, Selvaria shot a volley of small, quick bolts of blue flame from her lance. Aika dashed to the side to dodge, but a single bolt struck her left shoulder. The girl screamed as she fell to the ground, clasping the burn mark.

"AIKA!" Vyse shouted.

Now enraged, Vyse rushed at Selvaria, slashing rapidly at her. Selvaria quickly and easily parried each strike; Vyse's anger was getting the better of him. Sooner or later, he was bound to make a mistake.

Then, just as Vyse was readying both of his cutlasses to strike, Selvaria made a lightning fast swing with her rapier, slashing through Vyse's chest. Vyse gasped breathlessly as blood sprayed from the large gash. Dropping his cutlasses to the ground, Vyse fell forward into a growing pool of his own blood.

From where she lay on the ground, Aika watched as Vyse fell. "Vyse! NO!" she screamed in terror.

Looking down at Vyse, Selvaria walked up to the foreign swordsman and raised her lance for the killing blow.

"You were a fool to challenge me, boy. Now suffer the– AAGH!"

Selvaria screamed as a blast of blue fire hit her directly in the side, sending her tumbling across the ground. As she rolled to a stop, Selvaria struggled to stand. The blast had left large burns on her right shoulder and torso. Her uniform was damaged as a result, exposing her right arm and part of her waist. Selvaria's regenerative power, however, was mitigating the damage; she still held firmly onto her lance with her right hand. Despite this, she was clearly wounded.

Turning, Selvaria saw that Alicia had gotten back up. Her lance, which crackled with blue fire, was directed at Selvaria. Selvaria grimaced, cursing herself for being so careless. She saw, however, that Alicia was still having trouble standing.

"Not yet… I haven't… lost this yet…!"

Selvaria quickly stood up and shot a burst of fire at Alicia, who blocked the attack with her shield.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the battlefield, Fina rushed out to Vyse's side, moving him onto his back to check his wound. Seeing the large gash, Fina quickly activated a Ragnaid capsule and administered it to Vyse's wound, trying to slow the bleeding. Thankfully, the cut wasn't deep enough to reach his heart or lungs, but Vyse would still bleed to death if she didn't seal the wound.

As a bullet impacted near her, Fina realized just how exposed she was. She grabbed hold of Vyse's arms and tried to pull him off the battlefield, but he was too heavy. Then, as she looked over her shoulder, Fina saw Aika stumbling toward her, clasping her burnt left shoulder.

"Aika, are you alright?"

Grunting slightly, Aika said, "D-Don't worry about me, Fina. Quick, get Vyse onto my shoulder."

Fina struggled to lift Vyse onto Aika's good shoulder, and then the two slowly moved to carry him off the battlefield as bullets impacted around them. In the trenches, Kevin, Lynn and Dallas did their best to cover them, firing at groups of nearby Imperials.

Barely conscious, Vyse slowly turned his head to Aika and said, "Guess I screwed up, huh baby?"

"Shut up, Vyse," said Aika, too weak to shout at him.

* * *

Inside the aerie Ghirlandaio's east tower, a trio of Imperial snipers continued to pick off Gallian soldiers one by one. Most of the remaining Gallians were keeping their heads down, but every so often one would stick his or her head out, providing an easy target. Only one of the four Imperial snipers stationed in the nest had been shot down thanks to the cover the tower provided to them.

One of the snipers centered his sights on a Gallian Regular and fired, hitting the soldier in his neck. The shot was fatal.

"Heh, another Gallian _svoloch_ dead," said the sniper as he reloaded his Brondel MXII. "This is too easy."

But as the sniper was reloading, a grenade flew out from the nearby entrance stairwell. The sniper turned just in time to see the grenade explode a few feet from him. Shrapnel shredded the sniper, while the other two snipers were knocked off balance by the explosion.

The remaining snipers turned around as Rosie rushed out of the stairwell, her Mags blazing. Both snipers were gunned down in barely two seconds.

"All clear, Marina! Do your thing!" said Rosie.

Creeping out of the stairwell, Marina slid over to the side of the tower and looked down at the battlefield below. It was worse than she had expected. At least twenty Gallian tanks were in smoldering ruins, though the Imperials had lost about an equal amount. Bodies of both Imperial and Gallian soldiers littered the battlefield.

Then, Marina saw Selvaria, her lance swelling with energy…

* * *

Alicia could barely keep up with Selvaria's rapid assault. Her arms screamed from exhaustion, but she forced them to move against Selvaria's lance and sword. Her legs had gone numb, and her eyes stung with sweat and blood. Any second now, Alicia feared she would collapse.

Selvaria, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of fatigue. Her silver hair was a disheveled mess, while a burn had been added to her left thigh. She still had a great deal of strength left in her, however, something Alicia did not have. Selvaria was going to win simply by outlasting Alicia.

A burst of energy shot from Selvaria's lance. Alicia raised her shield to block it, deflecting the blow. The effort, however, dropped Alicia to her knees as her legs gave out. She gasped for air as her vision began to blur. Her hair began shifting between silver and brown, a sign that her power was fading.

Readying her lance again, Selvaria said, "It ends now!"

A loud boom caught Selvaria's attention. She spun around in time to see the Edelweiss' shell flying at her. She thrust her lance directly into the shell, which exploded as it struck the lance.

Inside the Edelweiss, Welkin tried to peer through the cloud of smoke from the explosion. He knew his move had been reckless, but he had become fed up with staying out of the duel and letting Alicia get beaten to death. At that moment, however, Welkin was left hoping that his surprise attack had finished Selvaria off.

His hopes were dashed, however, as Selvaria emerged from the smoke, still surrounded by blue fire. Soot and ash stained her skin and clothes, but the explosion had not harmed her.

Now, Welkin watched in alarm as energy began to crackle around Selvaria's lance.

"DIE!"

Selvaria fired a devastating beam of energy at the Edelweiss. There wasn't even time for Welkin to give an evasive order to Kreis.

"NOOO!"

At the last second, Alicia jumped in front of the Edelweiss, bracing her shield against the oncoming attack. Welkin watched in mute horror as Alicia screamed, using everything she had left to hold back Selvaria's attack. Despite her best efforts, small streams of blue fire were still battering the Edelweiss, tearing away at the tank's armor.

Then, after what seemed like a full minute, the beam passed. Alicia stumbled back, leaning on the damaged Edelweiss as she dropped her shield.

"N-No more… I can't…"

Alicia slumped to the ground, the aura of blue flames fading around her. She struggled even to breathe.

Inside the Edelweiss, Welkin ignored Kreis as he said, "Welkin, I can't move! We've lost power!"

Welkin wrenched the hatch of the Edelweiss' turret open and pushed himself out of it, leaping down next to Alicia.

"Alicia! Alicia, wake up!"

Welkin tried to stir the battered Valkyria, but she barely had the strength to moan. He then turned to see Selvaria readying another blast. This one was sure to finish them.

"As I told the girl before," said Selvaria, "there is only room for one Scion to the Valkyrur in this world. Now, disappear!"

Slowly stirring, Alicia looked up and saw Selvaria's lance ready to fire. She shut her eyes, knowing she was going to die. Next to her, Welkin wrapped himself around Alicia, intending to shield her from the final shot, even though he knew it would amount to nothing.

The battlefield seemed to go silent as a single loud bang echoed from Ghirlandaio.

Selvaria stood in place, gasping in shock. Pain shot through her as she slowly looked down at her body. Blood trickled from a small bullet hole above her right breast; the sniper round had gone clean through her, and now rested in the side of the Edelweiss.

Trembling in surprise, Selvaria slowly turned toward Ghirlandaio. She saw what she expected: in the aerie of the eastern tower was a black-haired sniper, her rifle billowing smoke.

* * *

From the aerie, Marina watched as Selvaria turned toward her. She had scored the hit the Gallians so desperately needed, but Selvaria wasn't down yet.

"…It ends now, Valkyria…"

A second round blared out from Marina's rifle, striking Selvaria in the chest. Selvaria screamed as the bullet tore through her. She fell on one knee, gasping in pain. Her breath became short as blood dropped from her lips.

Yet from her position, Marina slid open the loading chamber of the GSR-XXX. Selvaria's blue aura had not faded; she was still a threat. Marina knew the next shot would have to hit Selvaria's head. It was the only surefire way to kill her due to her regenerative powers.

Then, with a furious shout, Selvaria directed her lance at Ghirlandaio's tower and unleashed a large blast of blue fire at Marina. Marina saw the blast coming at her and scrambled away from the side of the tower. She barely made it a meter before the blast impacted, blowing off a large segment of the tower. Marina screamed as she was blown off her feet by the explosion. She hit the rear end of the aerie and toppled to the floor like a rag doll.

From where she was positioned, Rosie raised an arm to shield herself from the debris of the explosion. Then, to her shock, she saw Marina lying on the floor.

"Marina!"

Rosie rushed over to Marina's side and quickly checked her pulse. She felt it, though it was weak. Then, Rosie heard Marina moaning; she was alive. Still, Rosie checked Marina's eyes – Marina hadn't suffered from a concussion, but she wasn't sure whether or not the impact might have broken something.

"Marina, are you alright? Hey, Marina! Snap out of it!"

"…My rifle… where… is… it…? Urgh…"

Sighing in relief, Rosie said, "That was too close. Come on, let's get outta here."

Rosie lifted Marina onto her shoulder, scooping up the GSR in the process, and began carrying the wounded sniper back down the stairwell to the elevator below.

* * *

Back on the ground, Selvaria struggled to stand as blood dripped at her feet. She was still shocked at how Marina had managed to keep to her word. She had been shot.

Then, Selvaria sensed a nearby surge of power. Dumbstruck, she turned to see Alicia had raised her lance at her, charging up a blast with the last of her power. Next to her, Welkin had apparently been forced away from her by the surge of energy. Her blue aura was glowing brightly; she was pouring everything she had left into the attack.

"No… Not like this…"

Alicia screamed as a powerful blast of blue fire surged from her lance. Unable to dodge, Selvaria raised her lance to the attack, attempting to block with the weapon. For a moment, it seemed as if she would succeed in repelling the attack.

But then, to Selvaria's horror, her lance began to crack. The fracture spread rapidly along the weapon. Blue light shone from cracks in the Ragnite lance.

Selvaria screamed as the lance shattered in her hand. The remnant of Alicia's attack hit Selvaria directly, blowing her away. Selvaria was sent tumbling nearly twenty meters across the ground, finally stopping as she lay on her back. Her rapier clattered to the ground next to her, still intact.

"Your Grace… Forgive me…"

Selvaria's head slumped over as she blacked out.

* * *

As she sat next to the Edelweiss, Alicia barely breathed as she saw Selvaria finally go down.

"It… It's over…"

Alicia began to fall over as she lost consciousness. As she fell to the side, Welkin quickly caught her, cradling Alicia in his arms as her hair resumed its brown color. The blue fire surrounding her vanished.

"Alicia? Alicia!" Welkin shouted, but Alicia did not move. "Medic! MEDIC!"

As Welkin continued to shout for a medic, the battlefield suddenly became eerily quiet. From their foxholes and bunkers, the Imperials began to emerge, holding their hands above their heads in surrender. Without Selvaria, they had lost the will to fight.

As she stumbled down the stairs, supported on Rosie's shoulder, Marina looked out a large hole made by Selvaria's last attack and saw the Imperial surrender. She couldn't believe it at first, but it couldn't be denied.

She had won the battle for Gallia.

* * *

By the time Rosie had carried Marina out into the large staging area within Ghirlandaio's walls, hundreds of soldiers from the Regular Army had already entered the fortress. At least a hundred Imperial prisoners were being led out of the fortress, though Marina and Rosie suspected there were a great deal more than what they could see.

"Never thought I'd see something like this," said Rosie. "Always thought I'd buy it before this ended. But now look; we've won."

"…"

With a chuckle, Rosie said, "Hell, what am I talking about? You won this battle, Marina."

"…You can put me down now…"

"Huh? You sure?"

"…"

Taking Marina's silence as a "yes", Rosie slowly lowered the sniper off her shoulder. Marina was able to stand, though she was obviously having a great deal of trouble doing so.

"Hey, Rosie! Over here!" Cherry shouted, catching Rosie's attention.

The two sergeants turned to see Cherry, Ramona and Nadine heading for them. Nadine's left leg was wrapped in a bandage, though she still managed to walk with a limp. All three members were covered in dirt, grime and sweat.

"You guys alright?" asked Rosie.

"Yeaaah, we're fine," said Ramona. "Nadine took a hit, but it's nothing a little Ragnaid won't fix."

"Where's Julius?"

"He's busy taking Cezary back to base." With a relieved sigh, Ramona added, "Finally, I can get away from that creep."

"I can't believe it," Nadine sighed. "It's finally over. We can all go home now."

"Yeaaahhh, home sounds good," said Cherry. "Come on. Let's get back to the boss."

As Marina and Rosie followed their comrades outside Ghirlandaio's walls, Marina caught sight of General Damon standing before a wounded Selvaria. From Selvaria's position, Marina deduced that Damon had just struck her. Blood stained her black leather outfit, which was in tatters.

Rosie looked back to see Marina heading over to Selvaria and Damon. Realizing that Marina was asking for trouble, Rosie turned quickly to Cherry and said, "You guys go on ahead. We'll catch up." She then walked after Marina as the sniper neared the two generals.

As he continued to show his dominance over Selvaria, Damon caught sight of Marina in the corner of his eye. Surprised, Damon turned to see that Marina was indeed advancing toward him.

"Wulfstan…!" Damon uttered. "You're still alive?"

"…" Marina silently glared at Damon, this time unnerving the general. "I have some business with General Bles, sir."

Damon wanted immediately to stop Marina from speaking with Selvaria, but then saw Rosie come up behind the sniper. Realizing how serious Marina was, Damon made a short growl as he turned away and entered Ghirlandaio, escorted by two Regulars.

As Damon disappeared, Marina turned to Selvaria as she said, "You lived up to your word, Ghost of Gallia."

"…I gave you fair warning, Valkyria, that given the chance I'd shoot you down. You should've listened."

"Perhaps I should have. I allowed victory to escape my grasp because I allowed you to live." Selvaria made a short grunt of pain before adding, "I find it ironic… You, a mortal woman, bested me, a Scion to the Valkyrur, simply because I showed you mercy."

"…"

"Were I given the same choice again, perhaps I would have killed you. But we do not get such second chances. Now I lie here, having failed His Grace once again." Selvaria shut her eyes as she said, "I truly am without value to him…"

"…For what it's worth, you put up a hell of a fight, General Bles…" As Selvaria looked up at Marina, the sniper added, "I've shot you four times now and I still haven't killed you. That's gotta account for something."

"Hmm…"

After a moment of watching Selvaria, Marina turned to leave. Catching her breath, Selvaria said, "Wait."

Marina turned around to see Selvaria reaching for her sword. The soldiers around her clamored as they snapped up their weapons, thinking she planned to attack.

"Hold your fire!" Marina said commandingly. She knew Selvaria wasn't about to try something stupid.

Though they did not lower their weapons, the soldiers held their fire. Marina then watched as Selvaria slowly reached for her scabbard, unbuckling it from her belt. She seemed to have trouble with it, as though weak. Struggling, Selvaria sheathed her blade within the scabbard.

Selvaria lightly tossed the sheathed blade back, causing it to land at Marina's feet. She then said, "I give my blade to the one who defeated me. Take it."

"I'll make sure Alicia gets it."

"No. It is for you."

Selvaria once again coughed loudly, her body shaking from pain. Marina saw a small droplet of blood land at Selvaria's feet as she coughed. It was then that Marina realized the meaning behind the gesture.

"…You…"

"Farewell, Marina Wulfstan."

Slowly getting to her feet, Selvaria walked off into Ghirlandaio under the Regulars' escort. For a moment, Marina watched as Selvaria left.

Then, walking up next to her, Rosie asked, "What'd she mean by that, Marina?"

Marina didn't answer, instead choosing to look down at the Ragnite blade lying near her feet. Kneeling down, Marina took hold the scabbard; the sword was strangely lightweight, but very well-crafted. Its pommel took the shape of a blue flower. Engraved on the blade were letters in ancient Valkyrur script, which Marina couldn't read. It was unlike any weapon she had ever seen; it was beautiful, flawless, and deadly.

"Hey, Marina? You alright?" asked Rosie.

Marina reluctantly strapped the blade to her belt. She then turned and said, "Let's go."

Rosie was left baffled, but decided to follow Marina back to the others anyways.

* * *

About two hours later, as he sat upon a fancy throne in Ghirlandaio's citadel, originally brought to the fortress by the Imperials, Damon sipped on a glass of red wine. At least six guards, along with his personal aide, were with him in the throne room. Across the room, Selvaria kneeled between two guards, her wrists and ankles bound.

Normally at a time like this, he would have been celebrating his victory. But this was not the case. Marina Wulfstan was still alive, and now more dangerous than ever, having survived both his assassination attempt and her Imperial captors. A radio message from the Gallian base outside Ghirlandaio had informed him that Catherine O'Hara and Eleanor Varrot had been freed from the stockade, and they were now under the protection of several militia officers. Though he had won the war, he feared he would lose his standing in the end once news of his conspiracy got back to Randgriz.

Things were quickly coming apart for him. He had to act quickly.

As Damon drank the remainder of his glass, his aide asked him, "General, what is to be done about Captain Varrot and her accomplices?"

After a short pause, Damon said, "I can't afford to take any more chances with them. Wulfstan in particular is a serious threat as long as she's still alive." Damon paused again, and then said, "They'll have to be eliminated, permanently. Get Beier in here; I'll need his help in dealing with those pests."

Across the room, Selvaria heard each of Damon's words. She scoffed in disdain; the man was a vile coward, content to murder his own countrymen for personal gain. To him, status was everything, and it didn't matter who he had to trample upon to improve his standing.

Yet in the end, it would not matter. Both he and everyone still left in Ghirlandaio would soon perish, as would she…

* * *

Marina sat in the back of a militia jeep as Fina held a Ragnaid capsule to her neck. The soothing medicine was just what Marina needed at the moment; she had practically been ripped to pieces over the past day, and was covered in bruises and cuts as a result. For once, all Marina wanted to do was get some rest.

Within a few minutes, the jeep reached the Gallian staging area. Ghirlandaio could still be seen from the top of the hill. The Edelweiss and Shamrock were already on hilltop, the former which was severely damaged. Marina saw Kreis looking over the damaged tank with a look of despair, and wondered just how he hoped to fix it.

On another section of the hill, Welkin was speaking with Largo. "How many did we lose today, Largo?" Welkin asked the lancer.

"A lot, boss. We lost Bohr, Nash, Jung and Streiss, and pretty much everyone else is wounded."

"Four dead…" said Welkin, his head hung low. "So many losses…"

"We were lucky, boss. Squad Three was completely destroyed, along with half of Squad Four. The only unit that didn't suffer was Damon's."

"That makes sense. What about Alicia?"

"The doc says she'll pull through thanks to her powers. She hasn't woken up yet, though."

"I see." Then, spotting Marina as she walked toward him, Welkin said, "Marina, I'm glad to see you're alright. Well, mostly."

"…"

"Listen, I've got some bad news."

"And what news would that be, Lieutenant Gunther?" a familiar voice said.

Turning, Marina and Welkin saw Catherine, accompanied by Varrot, Juno and Susie. With Varrot were three other militia officers.

"Captain, wh-what are you doing out here?" Welkin asked in surprise.

"You have Sergeant Coren and Private Evans to thank for that," said Varrot.

"Juno? Susie?"

"I had to do something, Welkin, even if you didn't," said Juno, her tone strangely melancholy. Welkin noticed this, but did his best not to react to it.

Then, unexpectedly, Catherine had run up to Marina and wrapped her arms tightly around the black-haired sniper. Rapidly, Catherine said, "Marina, are you alright? Are you hurt? I was so worried about you! I thought you were dead! I–"

"Let… go… Catherine…!" Catherine didn't realize just how much pain Marina was in from the bear hug she was giving her.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Marina!" Catherine released Marina as she said, "It's just that– Thank God you're alright. When I heard you had gone missing, I just…"

"Lieutenant, do you still have the copy I gave you?" Varrot asked.

Confused, Catherine asked, "Copy? What are you–"

Catherine stopped upon seeing Welkin take a cassette tape out of his belt pouch. She immediately realized what it was, prompting her to look angrily at Varrot.

Exasperated, Catherine said, "Why didn't you tell me about this, Elle?"

"I feared that Damon would find out if I gave you such information. I had your reporter create duplicates of the recording in case Damon caught wind of its existence."

"Damon's sure to know the two of you are out of the stockade," said Largo. "He's not gonna take this lying down, you know."

"I'm aware of that, Largo. But I've decided that Damon is too great a threat for us to allow him to stay in command of the Gallian Army." Clearing her throat, Varrot continued, "I've spoken with several officers from the militia and a few in the Regular Army who I trust. We have agreed that the best course of action would be to place General Damon under military arrest until we can present the recording to Princess Cordelia."

"You mean a mutiny, Captain?" asked Welkin.

Snatching the cassette tape from Welkin's hand, Marina asked, "What is this?"

"Its proof that Damon tried to have you killed, Marina," Catherine answered. "That tank from yesterday; Damon sent it after you."

"…Thought so…" Marina handed back the cassette as she said this. Then, turning to Captain Varrot, she said, "If it'll put Damon behind bars where he belongs, I'm in."

"Count me in, Elle," said Largo.

"Me too," said Welkin. "Damon threatened my squad, my friends, and I won't stand for it any longer."

"Then we are in agreement," said Varrot.

Just as Varrot said this, Marina noticed a great blue light in the corner of her eye. Evidently, just about everyone in the area saw it too, and turned to its source, Ghirlandaio. Blue light was surging from the citadel in a massive swell of energy.

Marina was forced to shield her eyes as the swell burst, giving off a blinding light. The ground shook violently as Ghirlandaio was enveloped in a massive explosion of blue fire. The sound of the blast was deafening, and could be heard for miles. A moment later, a strong gust of wind almost blew Marina off her feet.

As the wind passed, Marina slowly opened her violet eyes and looked back at Ghirlandaio. To her shock, the fortress was gone, along with the two mountains on its sides. In its place was a massive crater from which a blue mushroom-shaped cloud reached toward the sky. Nothing could have survived the explosion.

Marina quickly realized what had caused the blast… or rather, who had caused it. She unbuckled the Ragnite rapier from her belt and looked at the blade. It continued to glow with a dim blue light.

A mix of remorse and gratitude filled Marina's thoughts. Surely thousands of Gallians had perished in the explosion. But at the same time, it had rid Gallia of its corrupt general. Ironically, she was thankful for that.

And lastly, it was the funeral pyre of the greatest warrior Marina had ever known.

Marina shut her violet eyes, uttering a silent prayer to Selvaria Bles.

**End of Chapter 8**

THERE. DONE! At least until Chapter 9 (which I don't plan to make as long as this).

As you can imagine, the drama parts were an ABSOLUTE BITCH. I had to keep changing them and changing them to make them sound good, and then I kept on getting new ideas on flow. Moments like Vyse, Aika and Freesia taking on Selvaria just came to me, but making them flow properly was so taxing. The Damon Conspiracy storyline, which pretty much came to a close here, just added to the pain. And the Welkin/Juno/Alicia love triangle? GAWD, that was difficult.

But there were moments I truly enjoyed writing: The meeting between Maximilian and A1, Marina's childhood test of survival, and the Ghost of Gallia's struggle to survive Ghirlandaio, were all parts I took special care with. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did writing them.

And outside the story, I had to keep my focus on university work. I actually got most of this done just in the past couple of weeks.

Now it's late, and it's technically Christmas Day. I need to sleep.

...I need to rest...


	9. Chapter 9

Two words: I. SUCK.

I'm so sorry for the massive delay (5 months, my god), but writer's block, university, and the Halo: Reach beta are primarily to blame. I've been very busy fine-tuning this chapter, which is just over 20,000 words in Microsoft Word (not as long as my last chapter, but still LONG). So many components had to be made just so to get their emotional impact across, and those took a lot of rewriting at so many points.

I thank you all for your patience. I hope you won't be disappointed.

EDIT: I have made tweaks and slight changes to the other chapters, inserting horizontal rulers and cleaning up some errors.

**Chapter 9: The Wulfstan Tale**

Clamoring voices and the patter of footsteps sounded from the Gallian forward base. The soldiers busily worked to repair damage to their few remaining tanks, while many others had to work to help the wounded. Everyone was at work; the war was not yet over.

Sitting outside Squad Seven's hangar, Marina ran a small pick through her GSR-XXX, trying to clean it out. A dirtied cloth lay next to her, along with her disassembled Colt .45. The pistol had already been cleaned; Marina only had to put it back together.

The noise surrounding Marina made her eyes narrow. The war should have ended two days ago. With the decimation of nearly the entire Regular Army at Ghirlandaio's destruction, however, the remaining commanders feared that the Empire would attempt a counterstrike. The militia and what remained of the Regular Army were busy preparing for that possibility, much to the dismay of its soldiers.

Nothing could be done about it, Marina mused. Gallia was extremely vulnerable now, and a strong enough push would completely destroy what was left of its defenses. Alicia was still in a coma, and the field hospital was nearly packed to the brim as it was. Only about sixty-percent of the militia was still combat effective at the moment.

As Marina scraped the pick inside her rifle's bullet chamber, which was filled with bits of gunpowder, she grunted as her sides ached. She hadn't fully recovered from her injuries sustained at Ghirlandaio; several bandages were still wrapped around her arms, legs and chest underneath her uniform. The injuries, surprisingly, weren't as bad as the ones she had received at Naggiar, but Fina had still told Marina to take things easy until the wounds healed.

Removing the pick from the rifle, Marina set the utensil down and picked up a small brush, sweeping it through the rifle's chamber. Small bits of dirt and gunshot residue were quickly brushed out of the chamber. It made a fair mess, but that was acceptable in comparison to having the rifle jam in battle.

Hopefully now that Damon was gone, Marina thought, she would be able to have at least a short-lived respite. Marina was morbidly thankful that Damon was dead, even though he had died along with thousands of Gallian soldiers when Ghirlandaio was destroyed. His death meant she would no longer be a target for assassination, at least from his end. Much of the Gallian Army's higher officers had died along with Damon, so Captain Varrot was now in charge of what remained. Marina was relieved to know this; Varrot was extremely professional, but unlike Damon she valued the lives of the men and women of the militia. She would surely do whatever was best for Gallia's survival.

These things, however, weren't on Marina's mind. Her experiences over the past months were dominating her thoughts. More than that, they haunted her…

"I understand you wanted to see me, Sergeant Wulfstan?" said a woman's voice.

Marina was startled, but only slightly. She hadn't seen or heard Varrot approach her, too focused on cleaning her weapon. But at the same time, she had been expecting to speak with the captain. Marina looked up to see Varrot standing before her.

"…Yeah, I did…"

"Well, what is it you wanted?" Varrot asked.

Marina paused for a short moment, and then, deciding to get straight to the point, she said, "…You're not gonna like this, but I'd like to request a temporary leave of absence, effective immediately. I… have something I need to do at my hometown."

"Sergeant Wulfstan, you cannot be serious," Varrot said crossly. "For what possible reason would I allow you this privilege when we are in need of every soldier available?"

"There's a lot of stuff I've been thinking about… and I need to get it sorted out… It'd just be for a day or so, ma'am."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. If I were to grant you such an exception, others would demand it of me. And right now, I need every able soldier I can get in case the Imperial Army goes on the offensive. I'm sorry, Sergeant, but your request is denied."

Marina sighed to this. She hadn't expected Varrot to give her such permission, but at least now she knew for sure that it wasn't going to happen.

"…Understood, Captain…"

Varrot instantly sensed the displeasure in Marina's tone, but did not react to it. She had to maintain her authority in such a time; she couldn't pick favorites just because Marina was the child of an old friend. She moved away from Marina, who went back to cleaning her weapon.

But after a few seconds, she heard Marina making a series of terse sounds. At first glance, one would assume that the sniper was upset that her weapon was being stubborn in its maintenance. Varrot knew, however, that Marina was struggling with some inner turmoil, and wasn't faring well in dealing with it.

Varrot shut her eyes in a sigh, and then walked away from Marina.

* * *

Cezary paced around inside a large vehicle hangar the Gallian Army was using to hold its many prisoners from Ghirlandaio. The prisoner stockade was too small to contain all the prisoners, so the remaining Gallian forces had decided to keep the Imperials in the hangar, which was formerly used by the Regulars. At least four guards were stationed at each entrance to the hangar, with many more outside the building.

Escape at the time was impossible. The Imperials obviously had no weapons, and even if they could overpower the guards at the entrances, they would have to deal with hundreds of other Gallian soldiers scattered throughout the base. It would be a quick and pointless defeat, one that would surely result in death. For the moment, Cezary decided he would bide his time. Surely an opportunity would present itself. He wasn't about to surrender himself to an execution for treason. Yet his mind raced; a number of transports were scheduled to arrive soon to take the prisoners to a proper camp. Once there, the chances of escaping would be even worse, if not completely impossible.

After a minute or so of pacing, Cezary walked over to one of the entrances, which was flanked by four armed militia soldiers. One of them stepped toward Cezary, who had gotten too close, and said, "And where do you think you're going, traitor?"

"I just need some fresh air, alright?" Cezary said casually.

"Then try opening a window. None of you are allowed out of here until we're to transfer you to the camps."

"Just gimme one minute and I'll come back in. Look, you can watch me."

The soldiers at the front seemed to be adamant in disallowing Cezary the right to go outside. But after a moment, the ranking soldier of the four said, "Fine, but if I think you're trying anything funny, we'll drop you. Got it?"

"Of course, of course."

The soldier stepped aside, allowing Cezary to walk out the hangar door and into the open air. The sky above was grey with clouds, and the air was quite cold from a lack of sunlight. Still, the air was refreshing in comparison to the hangar interior, which was flooded with smoke from cigarettes.

Cezary took a moment to look around at the Gallians scattered throughout the base. As he had thought, they were still on high alert since Ghirlandaio's annihilation. Cezary wondered, however, whether or not the Empire would send more forces into Gallia, or whether the war was truly over. Either way, it wasn't finished for the soldiers around the base.

Then, in the corner of his eye, Cezary saw a familiar, hated face with violet eyes, one covered by her black hair. Marina had apparently seen him too, for she walked toward him with a look of hidden spite on her face. Of note, Cezary saw a familiar sword strapped to Marina's side, a blade with a blue flower adorning its pommel.

"Well, well, just who I didn't want to see today," said Cezary. "Must suck not being able to go home, huh Wulfstan?"

"…" Marina chose only to glare at Cezary.

"And to think just two days ago I almost got you. You must have the luck of the devil to be saved by Stark like that."

"…Consider yourself lucky I didn't kill you right there, Cezary…"

"Is that so?" Cezary asked, his face turning smug. "What I'm trying to figure out, Wulfstan, is why you didn't kill me. You'd rather get a kick out of seeing me in a prisoner uniform?"

"…I want to see you hang for everything you've done."

"Ah… the old 'I'm to face justice' excuse… Tch, you just didn't have the guts to do it yourself."

Marina stared angrily at Cezary for this insult, but he did not flinch to her eyes. After a moment, Marina turned around to leave.

Before she could go, however, Cezary said, "That GSR-30's a real nice gun, by the way. Never had something that accurate and so powerful before. Heh, those six kills were simply beautiful shots."

"…What…?"

Marina stopped in her tracks, remembering at that moment how Cezary had taken her rifle and used it during Ghirlandaio. In a sense, she was partly responsible for whoever Cezary had killed with the weapon.

"Oh yeah, six shots, six marks," Cezary continued to taunt. "You should've seen the one I put into Nash: clean through his forehead. Guess that'll teach him not to be such a showoff… oh wait, no it won't." Cezary snickered at this. "Too bad you were down in a cell while I was making short work of him."

Marina's face contorted to Cezary's insults. Spinning around, Marina stormed up to Cezary and smashed him in the face with a balled fist, sending the grey-haired sniper to the ground. Cezary lay on his back for a moment before getting back up.

Rubbing his face as it throbbed, Cezary sneered as he said, "Truth hurts, doesn't it, Wulfstan? No matter what you do, it'll never gonna be enough to make up for everyone you failed to save."

"Shut up!" Marina hissed. This only brought a smile to Cezary's face, however.

Cezary then said smugly, "Here's my advice. You need to stop giving a rat's ass about anyone but yourself. Maybe then it won't hurt so much when you miss and someone dies because of it."

"Shut up!"

The guards looked on in stunned astonishment as Marina punched Cezary again. Again he rubbed the bruise Marina had given him as he got up.

"You wanna know the difference between you and me, Wulfstan? You care more about pleasing Dear Dead Daddy than you do about yourself. It's really pathe– UHH!"

Marina had furiously struck Cezary again for his insult against her father. Before he could recover, Marina grabbed Cezary by the shirt and threw him to the ground while the guards and prisoners watched.

Then, to their alarm, Marina reached for the rapier strapped to her belt. The blue flower pommel seemed to shimmer with light as her hand clasped the handle. She began to draw the blade from its scabbard.

"Marina, stop it!" shouted Catherine, who ran onto the scene.

Marina immediately stopped in the middle of unsheathing the blade, realizing what she was doing. Looking around, she also realized that dozens of other people were watching her almost murder a prisoner. The Imperials in particular had looks of trepidation on their faces at watching the infamous Ghost of Gallia in such a frenzied state. Many of them even saw a semblance of their leader, Selvaria Bles, in her.

Marina turned to see Catherine walking toward her. The veteran sniper said, "Marina, put it away. He's not worth it."

A moment of stillness passed. Then, very slowly, Marina returned the Ragnite rapier to its scabbard. The blade maintained its glow all the while.

Marching over to Marina, Catherine placed a hand to her shoulder and said firmly, "Come on, Marina. Let's go."

Though she knew she was in for a severe scolding, Marina decided it was best to leave the premises. Nearby soldiers watched as she left, led away by Catherine.

As this happened, Cezary scowled as he pushed himself back up, nursing the new bruises on his head. Yet he still retained a grin; he saw how Marina had withdrawn her blade, not willing to finish him off under such circumstances.

To Cezary, this was a victory.

* * *

The militia's hospital was filled with dozens of wounded patients, with barely two dozen medics tending to them. Some only had minor injuries, and could be cleared shortly. But many had lost limbs or were severely injured, and would never be expected to fight again. A few even were slowly dying, given only a few more hours of life thanks to painkillers and other such drugs.

Among the wounded was Vyse Inglebard, who had almost foolishly challenged the Imperial Valkyria in hand-to-hand combat two days before. He now held a large gash across his chest, a reminder of his heroic actions that would surely remain with him for the rest of his life. Yet considering the amount of Ragnaid he was receiving, he barely even felt the scar during his recovery, one that would end very soon.

Next to him, Aika was busy trying to help Fina with Dorothy's injuries. Dorothy had taken a sniper round to her shoulder, which had been bandaged up after the bullet was removed. This, compounded with her frail constitution, meant that she would be out of action for at least a month, as her arm had sustained some nerve damage. She couldn't move it if she tried.

Vyse had to be thankful for his luck. Though he had been slashed through the chest by Selvaria, she hadn't landed a fatal blow. Aika and Freesia had also been wounded by the Valkyria, but Aika had already recovered, her injury being light, and Freesia was expected to be back on her feet shortly, same as Vyse. A few of the other Sevens had been in the infirmary earlier, but most of them had been cleared for duty by now, despite some not being in the best condition.

As he sat in his bed, Vyse decided that as long as he was still confined to the field hospital he might as well rest. There wasn't much else for him to do. For once in his life, the prospect of adventure didn't appeal to him.

Then, he heard a familiar voice ask, "How are all of you doing?"

The injured Sevens turned to see Welkin had come to visit them.

"Hey, boss-man! What're you doing here?" Vyse asked.

"I just came to see how the rest of you were doing. I heard about you taking on the Valkyria by yourselves."

"Yeah, well we weren't gonna let Alicia have all the fun," Freesia said jokingly. She then grunted, trying to stifle a jolt of pain in her side.

"I glad you're all okay. Even though none of you are from Gallia, you've all risked your lives to protect this country again and again. I doubt I could ever repay you for the things you've done."

"Hey, don't sweat it," said Aika. "It was Vyse's idea from the start, after all."

Vyse wanted to object to this, but he knew Aika was right. Their involvement in the war had been his idea ever since they entered Gallia's port. Even though Aika had called it crazy for the two to get involved in the war, Vyse was always a seeker of adventure and excitement. The war, at first glance, seemed like a perfect opportunity for both. Over time, however, the two had chosen to stay in Gallia for more than adventure; they now stayed to end the war as soon as possible. Freesia, on the other hand, had been a wandering dancer before the war started, and simply got caught up in the fray. The initial battles had seen many of her fellow performers killed by the Imperials, so she joined the Gallian Militia to avenge her fallen friends. Over time, Freesia had come to love Gallia, though she made clear that she intended to continue travelling once the war ended.

With a smile, Welkin said, "Just make sure you all get better as soon as possible. I hate to say it, but the war's not over yet, and Gallia's going to need every soldier it can get to survive if the Imperials try a counterattack."

As the Sevens nodded to him, Welkin turned to leave the room. The Sevens watched him go, though Aika noticed a solemn look on Welkin's face.

Noticing Aika, Fina asked, "Aika?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing."

Fina knew Aika was lying, but didn't pry into the issue. She turned her attention back to Dorothy's wound.

* * *

Varrot sat behind her desk with her hands interlocking their fingers. The office was a bit messier than usual; she hadn't had time to tidy things up, and such a thing was a low priority considering the circumstances. At the moment, she was to have a meeting with an increasingly troublesome officer.

A knock came from the door. "Enter," Varrot said.

Opening the door, Marina stepped into Varrot's office and stood at attention before the captain. Marina was still in a rather foul mood, but in the captain's presence she knew she had to keep it in check. Varrot was an intimidating officer, even to Marina, and she knew the 35-year-old veteran was far more dangerous than General Damon ever could have been. Yet at the same time, Varrot was a reasonable woman, if strict, and Catherine swore by her adherence to protocol and how she looked out for her fellow soldiers in the militia.

"Have a seat, Sergeant Wulfstan," said Varrot.

Marina complied, sitting down in a wooden chair opposite Varrot.

Sighing, Varrot began, "Catherine told me about your little scuffle with Cezary. You are here because I want you to explain to me why you attacked him."

"…" Marina kept silent, unable to find anything to say that Varrot probably hadn't already figured out.

"I want an answer, Sergeant."

"…He had it coming, ma'am…"

"Sergeant Wulfstan, I do not care about what kind of history you and Cezary Regard have. You assaulted an unarmed prisoner of war, and that alone is bad enough. But worse, several others I have spoken to said you tried to kill him!" Realizing her raised voice, Varrot said more softly, "Sergeant, I do not and will not condone murder."

"…This coming from you when you tried to kill Giorgios Geld in cold blood…"

Marina knew she had just said something potentially lethal, but she didn't care. Varrot's words were hypocritical, after all, and she knew it according to her expression. After a few seconds, however, Marina was left confused as to why Varrot hadn't lashed out at her or started screaming at her for the remark.

Sighing as she rubbed her forehead, Varrot said, "Catherine said the same thing to me. And you are both right. I'm not one to talk when I tried the same as you. My hatred of Geld for killing Frederic had festered for over twenty years; yours of Cezary has barely lasted three months. I understand what you are going through, Marina. But despite that, you must understand that I am required to set an example. I cannot allow you to go unpunished for your actions."

"…No, ma'am…" Marina said, agreeing with Varrot's judgment.

"Your situation, however, is delicate. You only recently were made a prisoner yourself, and though it only lasted a day, even a short imprisonment can have a profound effect on a soldier. It would be both wrong and meaningless for me to have you locked up for your actions. The men and women out there are inspired by you in battle. To have you locked away if the Imperials decide to attack us could be potentially devastating."

Varrot pursed her lips as she thought about what to do. Marina had always been a difficult case for her; she broke a lot of rules for the greater good. More than a few times, she had gotten into fights with soldiers who were physically harassing Darcsen members of the militia. The worst she had gotten was a short stint in a jail cell, which had ended prematurely due to demand by many militia soldiers.

Marina rarely broke the rules unless it meant doing something for the greater good, but this time, between her and Cezary, it had been purely about ego. Cezary had insulted her ability to protect others, and Marina had taken it personally. Her outburst had been unacceptable, yet from their earlier discussion that day, Varrot knew Marina was dealing with a lot of problems of her own. Cezary had known this and just pushed the right buttons to make Marina go over the edge, if only for a brief moment.

Finally coming to a decision, Varrot said, "Sergeant, I am assigning to you a scouting operation to the village of Forstwald, southeast of our position."

"…!"

Marina jolted upon hearing Varrot's orders. She had earlier denied Marina's request to go to her hometown, but now she was ordering her there? Why?

Seeing Marina's surprised face, Varrot added, "Perhaps some time amongst the ghosts of your past will do you some good. You will be under the supervision of Sergeant Stark for the operation and will follow her orders. Is that clear?"

"…Yes, ma'am…"

"Good. You and Sergeant Stark will leave in one hour. Go prepare whatever you may need for the operation. Dismissed."

Getting to her feet, Marina turned to leave the office, but stopped as Varrot added, "And Sergeant, I don't want to see you back until you've cooled off. I will admit that my trust in you has been shaken. Therefore, I want you to return with a clear head, understand?"

"…Yes, ma'am…"

Varrot sighed as Marina left her office, wondering if she had made the right choice.

* * *

Walking down a hallway, Welkin's cheerful mood had quickly turned somber. It was good to know that the rest of his squad would recover, but that was no longer on his mind.

Within a minute, Welkin saw a small room ar the end of the hall. Even from the hallway, he could see a faint blue glow coming from inside the room. Alarmed, Welkin quickened his pace and reached the door.

Lying on a single bed was Alicia, her body attached to various medical devices, yet giving off a faint blue aura. Her hair was its usual brown, yet her face was pale and her body was covered in bandages. Faint breathing could be heard from her lips.

It tore Welkin up to see Alicia like this. Alicia had fought Selvaria the previous day and had nearly died just to defeat the Valkyria. Only Marina's involvement had stopped Selvaria from killing Alicia, as he had been powerless to stop her. Marina had won that day in more than one sense.

Welkin suddenly heard a faint moan escape Alicia's mouth. He knelt down next to Alicia as she tossed and turned in her bed slightly, covered in sweat, yet her state of unconsciousness did not change.

"Alicia…"

Alicia's movement only made the pit in Welkin's stomach deepen. He knew Alicia would eventually recover and that, someday, she would reawaken. But when she did reawaken, would she be the Alicia he loved or Alicia the Valkyria? He dreaded the thought of it being the latter.

_Alicia Melchiott is dead. I am a Valkyria, not a woman. That life has passed._

Those had been Alicia's words to him and to Squad Seven, her claim that she had cast aside her humanity in exchange for the power of the Valkyrur. Welkin didn't want that of Alicia. He knew it couldn't be what she wanted either, yet she had taken that path for Gallia's future. But what of the Alicia who wanted to be a baker someday? The one whose infallible persona had led Squad Seven through countless hardships, including the death of Isara? Where had that Alicia gone? Welkin hoped dearly that that Alicia was still somewhere inside the girl before him, somewhere behind the veil of blue flame.

Little did Welkin know, however, was that someone outside the room had heard his words. Standing outside Alicia's room was Juno, who looked on at Welkin silently.

"Welkin…"

Juno too was in a tumultuous state, but for a different reason: Welkin had told Juno, face to face, that he loved Alicia more than her. She had professed her love to him, but he had turned her away and broken her heart. Now he sat before the girl he loved, praying for her life, not giving a moment of thought to blonde who had once kissed him, pouring her passion into that embrace only for it to be cast aside.

Slowly, Juno turned away from the scene, trying not to let Welkin notice she had been there at all. Some patients watched Juno as she stumbled away crying.

* * *

Marina had her rifle strapped to her back as she walked to the south exit of the base. An army jeep stood waiting, with Rosie leaning against it. The redhead had her submachine gun slung over her shoulder, though Marina doubted they would need their weapons for the trip. Still, it paid to be prepared for the unexpected.

Seeing Marina, Rosie said, "So, a sight-seeing trip to your hometown? Sounds like a pretty boring mission to me."

"Orders are orders," said Marina. "Let's get this over with."

"Jeez, no wonder the captain said I'm in charge," said Rosie, noticing the icy tone of Marina's voice. "What'd Cezary say to piss you off so much?" Then, as Marina glared at her, Rosie said, "Never mind. I won't ask."

Marina moved toward the jeep, but then she suddenly stopped to clutch her side. Rosie stepped toward her, concerned that her injuries had not fully healed.

"Hey, are you alright?" Rosie asked.

"I'm fine…" Marina grunted as she held her side for a moment, but then she seemed to stop feeling the pain. She released her side and said, "Let's go…"

As Marina went to get into the passenger seat of the jeep, she and Rosie suddenly heard a voice shout, "Hey, you two! Wait up!"

Surprised, Marina and Rosie turned to see Ellet running up to them, sporting a new, somewhat large pair of goofy glasses – replacements for her broken pair. She had her usual set of journalist items on her, including a camera and a notepad.

"What's up, Ellet?" Rosie asked.

Catching her breath briefly, Ellet answered, "Just wondering if you had room for one more on your trip."

"Eh?"

"This would be a great opportunity for me to get an inside look at the life of our Ghost of Gallia here. Seeing her hometown and maybe digging up a few things may give me some good material to work with." Then, noticing the look of opposition on Marina's face, she added, "Hey, the truth's gonna come out one way or another, Marina."

"…Do whatever you want. Just don't get in the way."

"Peachy! Let's go!"

Marina suddenly felt as though she was going to regret bringing Ellet along, but the reporter wasn't going to say no to this. It was going to be a long trip…

* * *

Cezary nursed the bruises that marred his face. They were certainly painful, but he felt they were worth it for letting him watch as Marina lost her temper. He had always enjoyed learning how to push other people's buttons, and Marina was particularly enjoyable to rile up.

Deciding to rest his legs, Cezary sat down on a small crate. A few of the Imperials gave him passing glances, having seen him being thrashed by Marina. None of their eyes showed much sympathy; more of it was either contempt or a look that would've translated into saying that Cezary deserved such a beating. He didn't expect otherwise from the Imperials.

A short while passed as Cezary tended to his injuries. During this time he looked around the hangar, but didn't see anything noteworthy. It wasn't as though he expected to see anything worthwhile; the Imperials weren't given much to do besides chat with one another, and Cezary was not in a mood to speak with them.

After about five minutes, however, Cezary saw something odd. One of the Imperials was at the rear entrance conversing with a Gallian soldier. This Gallian wore a helmet, concealing his face, and looked as though he were trying not to be noticed. Curious, Cezary got to his feet and walked toward the two, trying to remain inconspicuous. He soon got close enough to hear what the two were saying, as well as to see some of their features clearly. Cezary didn't recognize the Gallian, but he recognized the Imperial prisoner as Elvin Eugen, an Imperial Lancer and a First Sergeant. Many of the other Imperial prisoners saw him as their de facto leader due to his natural ability to lead in the field.

"Do you understand all this?" asked the Gallian soldier. Cezary noted that the soldier didn't quite have a Gallian accent. It seemed more like an Imperial's voice.

"Of course. When can we expect you?" said Elvin.

"We will be set up about ten kilometers west of this base, far enough so that help won't arrive until it's too late. It should take the Gallian convoy about thirty minutes to reach the ambush point once it leaves the base."

"What should I do until then?"

"Keep a low profile, Sergeant. Once the plan put into motion, do whatever you can to assist us and to rally your men."

"Got it," Elvin said with a nod.

It was clear to Cezary what was going on. The 'Gallian soldier' must have been an Imperial spy. The two Imperials were obviously planning some way of staging an escape for the prisoners, an escape that would take place while the prison convoy was en route to the POW camp. Thinking about it, Cezary remembered seeing Elvin speak at times with some of the other Imperial NCOs. He must have been spreading news of the plan to them.

Not needing to hear anymore, Cezary slowly walked away from the two Imperials, doing his best not to draw attention. Unbeknownst to him, however, the Imperial spy saw Cezary slink away. Elvin, seeing the look on the spy's face, realized that someone had eavesdropped on them.

"Who was it?" asked Elvin.

"The turncoat," answered the spy.

"Regard? Damn, that could be a problem. Don't worry; I'll make sure he doesn't spill anything."

"See that you do. Lieutenant Regard may be favored by General Jaeger, but he could compromise our plans all the same. Kill him if you think he is likely to inform the guards of our meeting."

Nodding, Elvin casually turned away from the spy, drawing a cigarette and lighting it in order to avoid suspicion. The spy, meanwhile, slinked away and vanished from sight.

* * *

A multitude of Imperial tanks and trooper transports moved in the wake of a massive machine of war as it plowed effortlessly through the fields east of Vasel. Many of the Imperial soldiers in the smaller vehicles were still in awe at the sight of the Marmota, the name of the mighty dreadnought that led their force.

The Marmota stood as a colossus, crushing anything in its path like insects under its enormous treads. The dreadnought was around half a kilometer in length, half that in height, and sported a massive array of cannons on its sides that would drive off any army, no matter how large or how powerful. And to complement its size, the Marmota's armor was built to outrival a fortress in staying power. To summarize, it was all but unstoppable.

High up on the bridge of the Marmota, Prince Maximilian Gaius von Reginrave watched as the city of Vasel came steadily closer into view. His task force had faced only scant opposition up to this point, but he knew that Vasel's garrison would resist his advance. It would be futile, however. He could easily flatten the city with the Marmota if he wanted, but Maximilian desired control over the city. It would serve as a crucial garrison, one that would at the very least buy time for his task in Randgriz. In addition, Vasel was the best place for the Marmota to cross the River Graz; other locations would have been difficult at best.

Maximilian mused on how his forces had managed to get so deep into Gallia without facing major opposition. Gallia's Prime Minister, Maurits von Borg, in his own scheming to be made Gallia's ruler, had aided Maximilian's advance by pulling Gallia's forces out of the prince's path and preventing any word of the Marmota's presence from reaching the remnants of the Gallian Army. It had agreeably made things easier, though it wouldn't have been impossible even if the Gallian Army had known of the Marmota. The only thing Gallia had that could threaten it was their Valkyria.

"Your Grace, we're coming up on Vasel now," said one of Maximilian's officers.

Word had come swiftly from Ghirlandaio as it fell. A massive explosion had been reported shortly afterward. Maximilian knew Selvaria had perished; the Valkyrur's Final Flame was, after all, a final exertion of her power, one that would extinguish one's life. It was a shame, he thought. He had so many more uses for Selvaria. Supposedly, she had been defeated again by Gallia's Valkyria before her death, but one report said that another had defeated Selvaria.

"Your Grace?" the officer asked again.

Not breaking his posture, Maximilian said, "Have Jaeger's men enter the city. I want the Great Vasel Bridge undamaged. Kill any who resist."

"Yes sir."

As the officer began to relay the orders to Jaeger's forces, Maximilian pondered over how Jaeger had been such a valuable asset over the years. But at the same time, he thought over the fact that Jaeger was, in a sense, a traitor to his homeland of Fhirald. Maximilian had little love of traitors, so it bothered him knowing that he had been aided so much by traitors lately. At Naggiar, a Gallian turncoat from the militia's famed Squad Seven had aided in the extraction of Selvaria when she had been defeated by Gallia's Valkyria in single combat. Jaeger apparently spoke highly of the Gallian, but he had supposedly been lost at Ghirlandaio. And now Maximilian had managed to slip his forces deep into the heart of Gallia thanks to its own Prime Minister, who sought to become Gallia's king when the dust settled.

Traitors, it seemed, were a valuable asset, yet Maximilian had difficulty abiding them. Their loyalty could never be assured. Given the right incentive, they would betray him too.

He would worry about it later. For now, he had a nation to conquer.

And with the Marmota, nothing would stop him.

* * *

A small village stood deep in the woods of northeast Gallia: Forstwald. Like the village itself, its buildings, which stood broken and covered in overgrown vines and similar flora, weren't very tall or large. Besides the sound of an odd forest critter or bird, Forstwald was deathly quiet.

Rosie and Ellet silently stepped out of their jeep, the group having just arrived in Forstwald. It wasn't what they were expecting; the town looked as though no one had been there since the Imperials had left it. Skeletal bodies were strewn in the streets, making them impossible to identify besides their ruined clothing.

Rosie found the sight somewhat sickening. The Imperials hadn't even the decency to bury their victims, simply choosing to pillage and kill in their attack. Then again, Squad Seven didn't always bury its fallen enemies; sometimes the consensus was not to give the enemy such a courtesy. It didn't do to contrast themselves to the Imperials in that sense.

Looking ahead in the street, Rosie saw that Marina was already surveying the ruins of her hometown. The look on her face held her usual silent demeanor.

Slowing walking after Marina, Rosie said, "So… this is your hometown?"

"…Yeah…"

Pausing briefly, Rosie said, "The Imps sure did a number on this place."

Marina ignored this comment as she walked toward a spot outside the village. Just outside Forstwald's entrance was a wooden cross staked into the ground, with an Imperial helmet resting on top of the grave marker. No other gear had been left by the grave, but a set of rusty tags had been wrapped around the cross to label it.

Slowly, Marina knelt down to look at the tags. Though the words had faded, she could make out a name: Richard Schrackel.

Marina's stomach turned briefly. She recognized the name…

* * *

_Forstwald billowed with fire and smoke as gunfire and tank engines could be heard from the town. There were no more screams; most of the populace was dead or dying, with only Imperial soldiers now walking the streets, accompanied by their tanks._

_Down the southwestern road out of Forstwald, Marina stumbled through the brush away from the destruction. She wore a dark brown vest, a black long-sleeved shirt underneath, long dark brown jeans and a sturdy pair of leather boots. Strapped to her right leg was the holster for her Colt .45, which was now in her right hand. A hunting knife was sheathed on her left leg, and a small backpack was fastened to her shoulders._

_Marina grimaced as she looked back in Forstwald's direction. The place had never stood a chance against tanks, and it was too small and too remote for the Gallian Army to care about it. She wasn't sure if anyone else had managed to get away. Surely that Darcsen family hadn't gotten out…_

_Marina shuddered at the memory of it. The family of four Darcsens had been standing terrified before a pair of Imperial shock troopers, each carrying a ZM MP 1 submachine gun. The father, who had made a living as a shoemaker, had pleaded for the Imperials to spare them. His pleas were drowned out by the submachine guns. Marina had watched the whole thing from a distance, hiding in a set of bushes. The presence of two other Imperials and a tank had kept her from saving the family._

_Shaking her head, Marina told herself that there was nothing she could do for the others now. She had to get away from the Imperials and make it at least to Vasel. Hopefully along the way she could find some transportation, but she couldn't depend on that; she was probably in for a lot of walking._

_A rifle shot caught Marina's attention as a bullet struck a branch next to her. Marina instinctively dashed for cover behind a tree, readying her pistol as several more gunshots sounded behind her._

_Ducking down, Marina peered through the brush at her assailant. It was a single Imperial scout, dressed in the standard grey armor and helmet, which hid his face. The armor was more meant for symbolism rather than protection, at least on typical Imperial soldiers, and wouldn't stop a decent bullet. He was about fifty or so meters away, standing in the middle of the road, firing his ZM Kar 1._

_Marina carefully mulled over the situation. The Imperial had already seen her and had a significant advantage in firepower, but he seemed to be firing rather carelessly. This soldier was a rookie, or at least trigger-happy, yet Marina couldn't take chances with him. She also couldn't risk running away; he would easily shoot her in the back, despite his lack of accuracy._

_There was only one option…_

_She heard the gunshots stop, and saw the soldier reach for another clip, failing to take cover as he did. The Imperial had made a fatal mistake._

_Marina rose up, taking careful aim with her pistol, and fired. The first round hit the Imperial in his right arm, striking an unarmored section. The soldier screamed as he clutched his injured limb. Marina fired two more shots; both hit the Imperial in his chest. The Imperial staggered for a moment, and then dropped onto his back._

_For a moment, Marina remained still. The Imperial, despite being mortally wounded, was trying to get back up. Yet he clearly was too injured to succeed. His helmet had fallen off his head, revealing he had brown hair._

_Keeping her gun trained on him, Marina left the brush and slowly advanced toward the scout. She wasn't sure whether or not the scout might have had backup in hiding. It was unlikely, but possible._

_After what seemed an eternity to Marina, she reached the Imperial soldier after a few seconds. To her shock, the Imperial was barely an eighteen-year-old boy. His brown hair was complemented by a pair of green eyes and a somewhat slim face. Blood was streaming from his mouth; Marina had probably hit him in a lung._

"_He-Help me… P-Please…" the Imperial croaked._

_Marina could only stare down at the poor Imperial, knowing she couldn't save him. She had condemned him to death, after all. Marina knelt down to face the Imperial._

_Then, to her surprise, the Imperial grasped her arm. She felt something wet coat her sleeve: blood. The boy's hands were covered in it._

"_Help m-me…" the boy moaned._

_Marina shut her eyes as she pried the boy's hand from her arm. As she opened her eyes again, she saw a set of tags wrapped around the Imperial's wrist. They bore the name 'Richard Schrackel'._

"…"

_Setting Richard's arm down, Marina reached for her knife and drew it. The Imperial eyed the blade in her hand, clearly terrified and knowing what she intended._

"…_This is all I can do. Rest now…"_

_Driving her knife into his throat, Marina ended the scout's life. Richard's head slumped to the side, his green eyes still open._

_For what seemed like an eternity, Marina knelt next to the Imperial's body. Richard was her first kill of the war. Marina knew he wouldn't be the last…_

"_Marina? Marina, is that you?"_

_Startled, Marina snapped up her pistol in the direction of the voice. She was met by the sight of Catherine O'Hara, her godmother. Catherine was covered in soot and mildew, and her hair was a mess, but she looked unhurt._

_As Catherine rushed over to Marina, she said, "Oh, thank God you're alive! I was so worried about you! I–" Catherine finally noticed Richard's body at this point. "Oh… oh dear… Marina, are you okay?"_

"…_I'm fine…"_

"_Are you sure? I mean, you just killed someone. This boy… he's so young."_

_Marina said nothing as she wiped off her knife, sheathing it afterward. She then holstered her pistol as she got to her feet._

"…_Let's get out of here…"_

"_Uh, um… alright, Marina. Come on, I've got a car over this way."_

_Marina followed Catherine, never looking back at Richard's body._

* * *

Marina stared down at Richard's grave. Eight months since she had killed him, nearly 150 others had perished to her. To her relief, she hadn't needed to learn the names of the others she had killed. This first one, however, had given his name to her right before she had finished him in cold blood.

Those others who had died to her since that day had been… easier.

Perhaps it had been that way because many of the Imperial had worn their helmets, which hid their faces. But Marina knew better; despite their atrocities and how they threatened Gallia, the Imperials were still human beings like her. From Vasel onward, however, Marina had not flinched once at the prospect having to end another life. Her acts in taking so many Imperial lives had been cold, decisive, and without compassion. It was just the way things had to be done; she couldn't hesitate to kill an enemy because he might have had a family or loved ones. That was the rule of war: kill or be killed. Sympathy wasn't a luxury Marina could afford.

Brushing her forehead, Marina got to her feet and moved away from the grave. As she did, she heard Rosie ask, "Hey Marina? Whose grave is this?"

Marina stopped for a moment and said, "…Dunno…"

Rosie watched Marina head back into Forstwald's streets, deciding not to ask Marina about the grave anymore. She followed the sniper.

* * *

A half hour had passed by since Cezary had observed Elvin's meeting. Outside, a convoy of six trucks rolled into the base and began backing up toward the hangar containing the Imperial prisoners. Escorting the trucks were a quartet of jeeps with top-mounted machineguns, perfect to gun down any prisoners that tried to escape.

Cezary rose from sitting on the floor and began heading for one of the trucks as the guards began ordering the prisoners to the transports. He didn't get far, however, before he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. Turning his head, Cezary saw that it was Elvin who had confronted him. Cezary quickly concluded that Elvin must have known that he had eavesdropped on his meeting.

"Don't think we didn't notice you, Regard," said Elvin. "If you breathe one word to the guards, it'll be your last."

There was a brief silence between the two before Cezary said, "Wouldn't dream of it. Frankly, I'm hoping it'll go off without a hitch."

Elvin said nothing to this; he had no reason to trust Cezary's word. A traitor like him couldn't be trusted so easily.

Elvin released Cezary's shoulder and walked toward the closest transport. Cezary watched as the Imperial left. This development meant he would have to make his next move very carefully, or the Imperials were likely to kill him.

Cezary soon made for the same truck, which was flanked by Kevin Abbot and Mintz. Cezary paid no heed to them, not wanting to worsen his chances by speaking with his former Squad Seven comrades. As he passed them, however, both Kevin and Mintz watched as he boarded the truck. Cezary's betrayal had been a shock to them when they first heard of it, yet they still held some lingering pity for their old friend.

* * *

Ellet was busily aiming around her camera, attempting to get some good pictures of Forstwald's ruined state. She had so far gotten more than six ones she felt were good, but she intended to get a whole album prepared so she could present the best ones to the Gallian people when the time was right. Pictures were just one thing, though; she was also keeping her eye out for other paraphernalia that could shed some light on Marina's past, one the sniper seemed intent on keeping in the dark. Perhaps it might have been for good reason, but Ellet had sworn to expose the truth no matter what.

Snapping a shot of a wrecked home in the center of the village, Ellet glanced back at Marina and Rosie. The two were slowly looking around at the rubble and vines that covered Forstwald.

"You've been living here for how long?" Rosie asked Marina.

"About twenty years. Spent most of that time hunting or training."

"Sounds nice. I spent most of my teenage years in Vasel. Got some nice gigs in a few bars. You've probably heard that story before, though."

Marina said nothing, choosing to nod affirmatively instead. Most of Squad Seven knew of Rosie's background as a bar singer. Her reputation had led to her receiving the nickname Rosie, which ended up sticking.

Then, Rosie said, "To think, if it weren't for all this, I might still be singing at bars. I'd never have gotten to know you or the others… or Isara. If it weren't for her, I'd still hate Darcsens for what happened to my mom and dad."

"…"

"And come to think of it, if it hadn't been for you, maybe I'd still be that way."

"…What do you mean?"

Leaning on the wall of a small house, Rosie said, "Remember that night on base after Vasel? You and me duking it out?"

Marina remembered this. It had only happened a night or so after Squad Seven had successfully retaken Vasel from the Imperials.

* * *

_Squad Seven's hangar at Fort Amatriain was, for the most part, empty besides its vehicles. Outside, the sky above shone with many stars and a waning moon. It was almost 11PM, but a young Darcsen girl was still inside the hangar._

_Isara, her face dirtied with motor oil and the like, diligently tightened a bolt on the Edelweiss' radiator, the finishing touches to the tank's maintenance after the Battle of Vasel. Her eyes were starting to feel heavy and her body weak from exhaustion, so she was glad that she was finally finished with the tank's repairs for now._

_She hadn't planned on taking this long, but swimming the Edelweiss through the River Graz had caused more damage to the tank than she thought. Welkin's plan had been completely insane, but in the end it had been pulled off almost flawlessly. Vasel had been easily taken by Squad Seven, suffering no losses and wiping out a company-sized Imperial force. The Edelweiss had sustained no combat damage either, but the water it had been submerged in had caused a number of structural problems._

_With a tired sigh, Isara set about to putting away her toolkit. But as she fitted her wrenches into their proper places, she saw a familiar silhouette outside the hangar. It was Rosie, who had a lit cigarette in her mouth billowing smoke._

_Isara remembered some of Rosie's cruel words, and fists, from Vasel. She didn't know exactly why, but Rosie seemed to hate her just because she was a Darcsen. For some reason, Isara felt Rosie's prejudice wasn't just her conforming to some norm; there was some deeper reason behind it. But while others might have returned said spite, Isara wasn't about to stoop to Rosie's level. Two wrongs didn't make a right, after all._

_Stashing away her toolkit onto a pouch strapped to the Edelweiss' side, Isara made her way toward Rosie. She had to make amends with her._

_Leaning against the hangar doors, Rosie took in a deep breath from her cigarette, allowing toxic smoke to fill her lungs for a brief instant. Blowing out a wispy cloud, Rosie looked up at the starry sky, her thoughts mixed about the success of Vasel. Because Welkin's plan had succeeded, she and Largo now had to follow Welkin's orders without question, a consequence of the wager they had lost to him. She was willing to live with that, content that Welkin at least knew what he was doing._

_But she wasn't about to put up with his dark-haired sister…_

"_Umm, Rosie?" said a familiar voice._

_Rosie immediately knew who it was, much to her displeasure. She turned her head away from Isara, showing her contempt without a word._

"_Listen, Rosie, I know you don't want anything to do with me," Isara continued, "and I'm willing to live with that. But before that, I have to know why you won't accept me. Why do you hate my kind so much?"_

_Now becoming more irritated, Rosie said, "Do I really need to spell it out for you, kid? You're bad luck and I can't stand the smell of you. Is that a good enough of a reason for you?"_

"_No, Rosie. It's not. I don't believe that's your reason for hating me. And I want to know the truth."_

_Scoffing as she flicked away her spent cigarette, Rosie said, "Tough break, Darkie, because that's all you're getting from me." Rosie then began walking away from Isara._

_Isara didn't want to let Rosie off so easily. She had to know Rosie's real reason. She walked after Rosie as she said, "Rosie, wait!"_

_That was it, Rosie thought. As Isara neared her, Rosie spun around swiftly._

_Isara barely had time to make a short gasp before Rosie shoved her, sending her to the ground. The young Darcsen winced as she pushed herself up, groaning lightly as she rose up and stared back at Rosie._

_The sight of Isara's face only made Rosie angrier. The whole image of Isara, staring back proudly on the ground, her shawl enhancing the image of her Darcsen pride, was infuriating. Rosie couldn't stand it._

_As Isara stood up straight again, showing she wasn't about to give up, Rosie snarled angrily as she advanced on Isara, grabbing her by her shawl. Isara yelped as her back slammed into the side of the hangar, yet she avoided hitting her head. Then, to her surprise, Rosie pulled the shawl from Isara's shoulders. Isara looked up to see Rosie dangling the shawl from one hand, taunting her._

"_Give it back!" Isara shouted as she moved to take back her stolen possession._

_Rosie, however, effortlessly moved the shawl out of Isara's path, causing her to stumble past. Isara turned and tried to take back the shawl again, but again Rosie kept it from her._

"_What's the matter, Gunther? Aren't you gonna put up a fight?" Rosie said mockingly._

_Two more times, the cycle repeated as Rosie smugly smiled at Isara's distress. Seeing the Darcsen scramble to reclaim her symbol of her people's pride was extremely satisfying._

_Then, as Isara reached out a fifth time to reclaim the shawl, Rosie sidestepped Isara and swung a kick to the girl's ankles, tripping her and sending her to the ground with a dull thud. Isara shuddered as she got onto her hands and knees, trying to stand back up._

_With a short laugh, Rosie walked up to Isara and said, "Does it hurt, Darkie? You're gonna have to fight back at some point!"_

_Rosie could hear Isara's short chokes as she stood up, but then Isara said, "No, Rosie. You can hit me all you like…"_

_Isara slowly turned toward Rosie. Tears of pain were now welling in her eyes, yet she still held an expression of resolve. She glared back at Rosie._

"…_but I'm not going to fight you!" Isara added proudly._

_Rosie had had it. She braced a fist, raising it to strike Isara's head._

_She stopped dead in her tracks as the cold barrel of a gun was pressed right to the back of her neck._

"…_I'd give that back if I were you, Brigitte…"_

_Isara was left with a stunned expression on her face. Standing behind Rosie—her Colt .45 in her right hand—was Marina Wulfstan, one of Squad Seven's snipers. Isara always thought Marina was a silent, uncaring person. But just now, she had saved her from a severe beating, despite having resorted to her firearm to stop Rosie._

_Rosie, on the other hand, was left in a mixture of tension and fury. Marina's use of her real name was clearly meant to be commanding, but the fact that she had interfered at all was completely unexpected. The whole ordeal was none of her business, so why was she getting in the way?_

_Rosie didn't lower her arm. Without moving, she said, "Stay out of this, Wulfstan. This dark-hair needs to learn her place."_

_Marina cocked the hammer on her pistol and said, "Not gonna warn you again. Give her back the shawl."_

_Rosie snarled furiously. Marina was only a Private First Class, while she was a Corporal. Rosie had authority by rank, though she had never cared about it. Marina, it seemed, didn't care either that she could get court-martialed._

_Marina watched as Rosie slowly lowered her fist. She lightly tossed the shawl to Isara's feet._

_Then, to Marina's surprise, Rosie spun around and struck her arm, knocking the Colt out of her hand. Rosie swung a fist at Marina, who quickly knocked the blow aside with a hand. Rosie took several more swings at Marina, which the sniper either deflected or dodged. Isara watched in awe and horror as the two Gallians fought each other. Marina, however, did not strike back at Rosie, choosing only to defend._

_After about ten seconds, Marina sidestepped another strike from Rosie. The redhead spun around rapidly and swung another fist. This one hit Marina's forehead, knocking her back against the hangar door. Marina stayed standing, but stood dazed by the blow, leaning on the side of the hangar._

_Smirking, Rosie said, "Should've just stayed out of it, Wulfstan."_

_Rosie shouted as she rushed at Marina with a fist. To her shock, Marina glared back at her as she caught the strike, knocking it aside. Rosie couldn't believe Marina had recovered so quickly from the blow to her head._

_Then, Rosie felt a sharp impact hit her stomach as Marina thrust a knee into her gut. She barely had a moment to gasp for breath before Marina moved away, placed a hand to the back of her head and shoved, causing Rosie to strike her head on the hangar door. Rosie fell to the ground, her head ringing like a gong and her eyes filled with disorienting stars. Her forehead turned a dark shade where she had hit it on the hangar._

_Isara was stunned. Rosie was a very talented fist fighter from her days as a bar singer, having to fend off customers who got too close for comfort. But Marina, a sniper with no formal military training, had just beaten her easily. She was both thankful and remorseful; she didn't want Rosie to get hurt because of her._

_She then realized that Marina was looking at her. Isara stared back at Marina's single exposed violet eye. Marina's stare seemed to pierce into her very soul. It was intimidating, to say the least._

"_I, uh… thank you."_

"…"

_As Rosie lay groaning on the ground, clutching her forehead, Isara knelt down to pick up her shawl. Thankfully, Rosie hadn't torn or damaged it, so Isara simply draped the shawl back over her shoulders. She then looked back at Marina, who had picked up her Colt. As she did this, Isara noticed that Marina had not put a clip into the gun; it had never been loaded to begin with, simply a bluff against Rosie._

_As Marina holstered her gun, Isara said, "Marina, I– why did you help me?"_

"…_Because you're weak…"_

"_What?"_

"_You won't defend yourself when another person attacks you. You invited Stark to hit you. I call that weak…"_

"_Maybe… but I stand by my actions, Marina. Rosie may hate me, but she's still a fellow soldier. And I won't fight her, no matter what she does to me. It just wouldn't be right."_

"…"

* * *

Rosie smiled as she remembered that night. The incident had never gotten outside the three of them; Isara didn't want Welkin to worry about her, Marina kept it a secret as a threat to Rosie, and Rosie never told anyone because of the humiliation of her defeat at Marina's hands. As for her injury, Rosie had passed it off as her bumping her head against her bunk bed; no one was ever the wiser.

For a while, Rosie had been bitter towards Marina about the whole incident. This changed, however, after Marina had saved Rosie's life from an Imperial sniper at Kloden. In fact, in the very same incident, Rosie ended up saving Marina from an Imperial who had snuck up on her with a bayonet. The two had called things even after that, and ever since Rosie had held a great deal of respect for the black-haired sniper.

"You probably did us all a favor that night, Marina," said Rosie. "Who knows what I might've done to Isara if you hadn't stopped me."

"…"

"I guess I should be thankful that you beat me. I deserved it."

"You made it easy…"

Rosie couldn't help but chuckle at this. Then, somewhat more seriously, she said, "I gotta ask: did you do that because Isara was Darcsen?"

"No. I did it because she didn't defend herself."

"I thought so. That'd be your style."

"…"

At that very moment, Ellet stood nearby listening to Rosie and Marina. To her disappointment, she hadn't been able to record their conversation, though the knowledge that Marina had once beaten Rosie in a fistfight was some good dirt. Without proof, however, she wouldn't be able to publish it.

Ellet decided to get back to investigating Forstwald. Perhaps she could find something at Marina's residence, Ellet thought.

* * *

Juno walked aimlessly around the base, still distraught over Welkin. Whenever she had been approached by one of the Sevens, however, she had acted as though nothing were wrong. No one else knew of what happened three nights before.

In truth, Juno was still having trouble believing it. She had known Welkin for a few years now; they were in the same year at Gallia University, and had been in the same Biology class. While Welkin had taken an interest in flora and fauna, she focused more on microorganisms and bacteria, yet the two often saw one another throughout their tenure at the university.

Then the war came. Juno had been unable to reach Randgriz before the Imperial Army reached Vasel, and became trapped in the city. When Welkin came to Vasel, Juno's heart skipped a beat upon seeing him. Their reunion had been a romantic one, at least to her, as though he had been her knight in shining armor.

But now, Juno realized that she had been a fool all along. Welkin might have seen her as a friend, but not as a lover. He wanted to be with Alicia, a girl from Bruhl he only met barely a month before Vasel. After only six months, Alicia had won Welkin's heart. She couldn't fathom it.

Turning to Squad Seven's barracks, Juno saw the one person she needed to see. Catherine was kneeling down next to Aisha, trying to encourage the girl to keep helping out as best she could. Juno walked over to Catherine.

Catherine noticed Juno as she approached. She quickly turned to Aisha and said, "Now Aisha, I think Juno wants to talk to me. Think you can go and help the others out for a while?"

"Okay, Auntie Cathy!" Aisha said cheerfully as she skipped away.

Juno walked up beside Catherine, who sat down on a nearby bench, as the sniper said, "Oh, bless that child. She's been through so much and she still has such spirits."

"Yeah…" said Juno, not noticing her own melancholy voice.

Catherine did notice, however, and she asked, "Juno, are you alright?"

"I– I don't know…" Sitting down on the bench, Juno said with a stutter, "It's just that– well, I– you see–"

"Juno, calm down and take a deep breath," said Catherine, sensing the embarrassment in Juno's tone. As Juno breathed deeply, Catherine added, "Now what is it? It has to do with Welkin, right?"

With a long sigh, Juno said, "Yes."

Catherine suddenly became concerned; Juno's response had been one filled with shame and sadness. "Juno, what's wrong?"

"Catherine, I– I kissed him…"

"You what? W-Well done, Juno! I kept telling you to open up to him and now–"

"He– He said he didn't love me…" Juno said, abruptly stopping Catherine.

"Wha-What do you mean?"

Catherine saw that Juno was now starting to cry. She immediately realized that whatever had happened between her and Welkin, it hadn't gone well.

Amidst growing sobs, Juno said, "He said he loves Alicia, Catherine. He said it right to my face. I told him that I loved him and then… he pushed me away… he just wanted to be friends… and…"

Juno burst into tears as she buried her face in her hands. As she cried, Catherine looked down at her apologetically. She wrapped her arms around Juno in a motherly fashion, trying to comfort the heartbroken girl.

"Juno… Oh, Juno… There, there…" Catherine said in an assuring tone.

"Catherine, I– I love him so much! But he– he wants to be with Alicia! Catherine, I don't know what to do! I don't know what to say to make him love me!" Juno's cries soon became unintelligible as she was overwhelmed by her broken heart.

"Juno… I'm so sorry, Juno…" said Catherine.

"It– It's all because of Alicia! If she hadn't met him– Catherine, why did Alicia have to screw things up? Why'd she get in the way?"

Catherine's sympathy began to fade as she heard this. Juno clearly had abandoned rationality in blaming Alicia for all this. Alicia had done so much to help Welkin, especially after Isara died, while Juno had been too shy to confide her feelings in him until recently.

"Juno, you mustn't blame Alicia for this," said Catherine, still trying to stay sympathetic to Juno.

"Why not? It's all her fault! It's all Alicia's fault!"

Catherine abruptly dealt a hard slap to Juno's cheek. Juno's screaming stopped immediately.

"C-Catherine…?" Juno whimpered as she touched her cheek where the sniper had struck her.

Now angry, Catherine scolded, "Juno, I've been supportive of you from the start, but as your mother's best friend, I can't let you hate Alicia for making Welkin happy!"

"B-But–"

"You just have to live up to the fact that Welkin loves that poor girl! Alicia's been at his side throughout this whole war, and I think he'd have lost his mind by now if it weren't for her. And now he's afraid that he'll lose her forever to that power she wields! What do you think will happen to him if he loses her?"

Juno couldn't find anything to say. Again she began crying and again she buried her face in her hands. Her glasses were smeared with tears at this point.

Now in a more compassionate tone, Catherine said, "Listen, Juno. Just because Welkin doesn't love you, that doesn't mean he doesn't care about you. I'm sure he'd never want to hurt you."

Nodding to Catherine's words, Juno sniffled as she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. Removing her glasses, she brought out a small cloth and wiped them absentmindedly in her hand.

"And you know what I think?" Catherine continued. "I say you should be thinking about Welkin and what would make him happy again."

"Catherine, I…"

"Juno, you should be doing whatever you can to support Welkin. He's really worried about Alicia, and I think he needs you as a friend right about now. You should go see him; I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

Juno paused for a moment, contemplating Catherine's wisdom through her sniffles. Then, taking a deep breath, Juno said, "O-Okay…"

"Okay, Juno?" Catherine asked gently.

With another sniffle, Juno answered, "Okay, Catherine… I-I'll do it…"

"Okay then, Juno. Come on, I'll walk you there."

Catherine brought Juno to her feet and led the teary-eyed blonde in the direction of the field hospital.

* * *

For a short while, Marina had decided to split up from Rosie and Ellet. Now she walked through a broken house, the former owner who had been Marina's regular customer for buying animal carcasses. The owner, a man named Walther, skinned the carcasses so their pelts could be used for making winter clothing and the like. He had been killed early in the assault on Forstwald, the result of a tank shell hitting his shop.

Marina remembered how she had not come to Walther's shop that day, having been out hunting at the time. Had she been in his shop, perhaps she could have done something to save him and the others in his shop, whose skeletal bodies remained on the floor. But by the time she had arrived in the village, it was too late.

Since his death and the deaths of nearly everyone in Forstwald, Marina had fought the Imperials to drive them out of Gallia. Vengeance for Forstwald's dead had nothing to do with it, Marina told herself, yet she wondered how much of that was true.

_No matter what you do, it'll never gonna be enough to make up for everyone you failed to save._

Cezary's words echoed, making Marina grimace. She tried to turn her thoughts away from Cezary's taunting, but it was no use. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get it out of her head.

It wasn't the first time someone's words had made her question her abilities…

* * *

_Smoke and ash rose into the air above the mining town of Fouzen. Tanks and Imperial and Gallian bodies littered the canyon, though the Imperial dead greatly outnumbered the Gallians. At least, in terms of soldiers…_

_On one end of Fouzen, fire billowed from several buildings that had been used to keep hundreds of Darcsen prisoners. Now the prison buildings had collapsed from the fire, and only a few had been evacuated in time. Dozens of Darcsen corpses lay charred under the ash and debris, while the few Darcsens remaining wept for the dead._

_Squad Seven, who had been the major driving force in the battle moments before, scrambled to remove the debris, hoping to find more survivors. Even Rosie, whose spiteful stance against Darcsens was well-known in the squad, helped as best she could._

_Yet one particular Seven was unaccounted for in all this…_

_Marina slowly made her way down the side of a ravine, descending toward the remains of the Equus. Fires were erupting from each of the armored train's compartments, making the air harder and harder to breathe as Marina approached it. Still, she continued to climb down the cliff-side._

_A few minutes later, Marina planted her feet onto a rock at the bottom of the gorge. She choked for a moment on the smoke, but it quickly passed. Drawing her Colt, Marina peered around for any sign of Imperial survivors. It seemed impossible that anyone could have survived such carnage, but Marina had to be sure of something._

_Sure enough, Marina saw red stains streaking across the wreckage of the bridge. The blood was fresh; someone was alive, and very close. Marina cautiously stepped forward, careful to avoid the flames bellowing from the Equus. As Marina walked around the front of the train, she raised her pistol._

_Dragging himself across the wreckage, his abdomen bleeding profusely, Major General Berthold Gregor grimaced loudly as he tried to pull himself away from the burning train behind him. His right leg was broken, and his uniform was torn in several places and covered in his blood. He grasped a revolver in his right hand, while he held his walking stick in his left._

_He realized that someone had found him. Gregor turned over on his back, instinctively raising his gun at Marina. She could see that his left eye had been injured behind his shattered glasses, yet his wrinkled face was, even for Marina, still an intimidating sight._

"_So my end comes sooner than I expected," said Gregor. Remarkably, he spoke as if he weren't in pain, which he clearly was._

"…_You've got a lot to answer for," said Marina, cocking the hammer on her pistol. "Including the slaughter of more than a hundred innocent lives today…"_

"_An act I would not hesitate to do again, wench, were I to deem it necessary. Those foul mongrels and your people needed to learn the price for defying the Empire!"_

"_So you turn to genocide, General Gregor?" Marina spoke with an unusually angry tone as she said this. "Is that the way your great Empire works?"_

_Staring Marina in the eye, Gregor said, "If it must be done to further the cause of the Emperor, I would gladly commit a hundred such genocides. Can you claim to show such devotion to your country, peasant?"_

"…_What…?" Marina was startled by this question, but kept her gun trained on Gregor nonetheless._

"_Your eyes… they bear a strong will. I suspect you are someone who would do anything to defeat your enemy. We share that in common."_

"…_No… I wouldn't sacrifice others to kill my enemies."_

_To Marina's surprise, Gregor let out a painful chuckle. Then, raising his revolver to Marina, he said, "Then you are weak, Gallian…"_

_Marina saw Gregor's finger closing around the trigger of his revolver. Even though he lay bleeding to death, the general still intended to fight. His words, despite mad, Marina felt were of his own will, and not born of delirium._

"…"

_A loud bang echoed from the ravine._

* * *

Marina opened her eyes, looking down at the skeletal bodies on the floor. These people, and many others in Fouzen, didn't need to die, she thought. They simply were the unfortunate victims of those who were fighting for their beliefs, and who would be willing to do anything for them.

Time and again, Marina thought, she had fought for what she believed in. But time and again, she had failed to succeed, letting innocent lives be lost. Was it because of her will? Was her reason for failing because she wasn't willing to do whatever it would take to succeed like Gregor did?

_You need to stop giving a rat's ass about anyone but yourself._

Cezary's words resonated in Marina's mind. Marina immediately tried to force the words out of her head, trying to convince herself that he was simply trying to get to her. But the simple truth was that Cezary was partly right; even though she tried to distance herself from others, she didn't like to see an ally die. She wasn't willing to sacrifice others to get the job done.

The thought of it then made Marina think of Noce Wordsworth. Marina had allowed Noce to die in order to rescue Alicia and Susie from Giorgios Geld, though the truth was that she couldn't have saved him in the first place. Still, she used his death as a means to an end. In a way, it was the same as Gregor's tactics; Gregor just did such things on a much larger scale. Scale, however, was not a factor; the fact was that Marina had exploited another's life to get the job done, and it had lead to Noce's death.

"…"

Marina then thought about Selvaria; she had fought selflessly and given her life for her goal, serving Maximilian to her end. The two had a stark contrast: Selvaria fought for Maximilian out of love, while Marina fought for Gallia out of duty. But compared to Selvaria, Marina had done little to accomplish her goals. Selvaria had made the ultimate sacrifice for the man she had loved. Marina could not claim to have shown such devotion in her own actions.

Was Cezary right? Was she weak?

* * *

Alicia breathed silently as she lay in her bed. A short distance from her, Welkin sat with his eyes unmoving from Alicia's form. A few times now, he had actually whispered to her, begging for her to wake up. His pleas had gone unheeded; Alicia still would not awaken.

A moment later, Largo came rushing into the room. "Boss, we got a problem!"

"Huh? Largo, what is it?" asked Welkin, caught somewhat by surprise.

"We just got a message from Vasel: a large Imperial force entered the city and they're pushing toward Randgriz."

"What?"

"That's not the worst of it. The Imps had something with them. Report called it some kind of 'land battleship'."

"A battleship? How could something that massive have reached Vasel without us knowing?"

"Hell if I know, boss. But we've lost contact with Vasel. Elle's ordered all combat-ready squads to ready up. We've gotta get back to Randgriz and fast."

Suddenly, Welkin and Largo both heard stirring moan and a crackle of flame nearby. Welkin turned and, to his dread, he saw Alicia surrounded by blue fire. Her long brown hair was turning silver. Her face was holding a painful grimace. Then her eyes opened, revealing their crimson hue. She began to rise.

"A-Alicia!" Welkin exclaimed as he rushed to Alicia's side. "Alicia, you're awake! Are you–"

"Help me to my feet, Lieutenant Gunther," Alicia said in an ethereal tone.

"Alicia?"

As she began removing the various needles in her arms, Alicia said, "Gallia is still threatened by the Empire. I must face the enemy if Gallia is to be free."

Realizing what Alicia intended, Welkin grabbed her by her shoulders and said, "Alicia, you're still hurt! You're in no condition to fight right now!"

"I do not need rest, Lieutenant." Alicia pushed Welkin's hands away and shifted her legs away from the bed as she added, "And Gallia has need of my power. I cannot concern myself with these wounds."

"No, Alicia! You can't!"

Now becoming angry, Alicia said, "If you have no intention of helping me, Lieutenant Gunther, then get out of my way!" Alicia stood up, barely covered by a sheet and some bandages, and walked toward the door. Her blue aura began to brighten.

Alicia barely took a step, however, before Welkin grasped her wrist and pleaded, "Alicia, please! You have to fight it! Don't let your power control you! Alicia, please! Listen to me!"

"Silence!" Alicia shouted, causing azure flames to flare around her body. Welkin stumbled back onto Alicia's bed as a result, but he kept himself from falling to the ground.

Quickly recovering, Welkin looked on despairingly at Alicia, who stared back at him. Her eyes, now crimson, showed a flicker of fury burning within them. Her silver hair, loose around her shoulders, fluttered from the intense energy she commanded, and her skin was pale-white like a ghost. All this made Alicia hauntingly beautiful, yet terrifying at the same time.

Then, Alicia said, "Persist with your meddling, Lieutenant Gunther, and I will reduce you to dust!"

"Alicia…"

Alicia turned away from Welkin and headed for the door. To her surprise, Largo quickly stepped in front of her and blocked the exit.

"Stand aside, Sergeant Potter!" Alicia commanded.

Alicia tried to push past Largo, but the burly lancer grabbed her by her wrists and tried to force her back into the room.

"You are going back to bed, Missy!" Largo said as he struggled to hold Alicia back. To his surprise, her physical strength seemed to have increased tenfold.

"Release me, you lout!"

Alicia shoved forward, sending a surprised Largo careening back into a wooden door, which broke down as he impacted on it. A number of bystanders in the hall looked on at the event in awe. To his fortune, Largo was barely bruised by the impact.

Then, from his place leaning on Alicia's bed, Welkin saw the Valkyria stagger for a moment in a painful twinge. The effort of shoving Largo away had weakened Alicia, but she did her best to hide this fact. Welkin could tell, however, that she was struggling just to stay upright.

Onlookers watched as Alicia strode through the hallway, barely clothed in a sheet and wrappings. In nearby rooms, patients looked in wonder as a bright blue glow passed through the hallway, surrounding the Valkyria's body.

No one moved to stop Alicia, nor did they care when Welkin finally got to his feet and ran after her.

* * *

Walking through Forstwald's streets, Marina continued to mull over Cezary's cryptic taunts, which continued to rattle her thoughts. More and more, they seemed to be like a poison that ate away at Marina's resolve, causing her to doubt herself in regards to the monumental task she had promised her departed father that she would complete.

Suddenly, Marina felt something soft under her boot, like fabric. She looked around; she had entered a small enclosure next to a familiar house. Marina looked down at the ground.

"…!"

At her feet were the skeletal corpses of four people, a father, mother and two children. All of them wore tattered sashes embroidered with Darcsen patterns.

It was the family she had watched the Imperials slaughter that day.

For a moment, it was as though time stood still for Marina. Looking at each skeleton, Marina could see a ghostly image of each of the Darcsens, who looked back at her with terrified faces. Each one of the apparitions then began moving their mouths, releasing a ghastly wailing that attacked Marina's thoughts. Though their voices were incoherent, Marina knew they were pleading for their lives.

Then, for a single instant, Marina saw a flashing image of a familiar Darcsen girl wearing a shawl over her shoulders.

Marina stumbled back a few steps and fell to her knees as sickness washed over her. She clasped her head between her hands. Her body was clammy and her breath short, as though she were about to vomit. But though she felt sick to her stomach, its contents remained in place.

"Hey, Marina? Are you alright?" said Rosie.

Marina slowly turned to see Rosie standing behind her, clearly concerned for the sniper's well-being. The voices had stopped, and the bodies on the ground were nothing more than skeletons. Still, Marina's breath was deep and long.

"You don't look so good," said Rosie. "Come on, you better sit down."

The instant Rosie put a hand to Marina's shoulder, she said, "I let them down…"

"What?"

"This family… I-I saw the Imperials kill them… They were begging for their lives and those men shot them… and… and I couldn't do anything to stop them…"

Rosie looked down at Marina to see she was trembling. Suddenly this patrol seemed like it was meant to torture Marina, Rosie thought.

"Marina? Are you–"

Not acknowledging Rosie, Marina said, "I couldn't save them… I couldn't… I… I couldn't save her…"

"Marina?"

"I-Isara… I… I couldn't save her…!"

* * *

_Marberry Beach, a supposedly unassailable cliff-face lined with dozens of bunkers, now burned as the Gallian Militia poured in. Cover granted by Isara's new smoke rounds had allowed the Militia to easily reach the cliffs and storm the beachhead. The Imperial defenses had all but collapsed thanks to this new tactic._

_Marina had positioned herself on a cliff nest above the beachhead. She could see the Edelweiss parked down on the beach, with Rosie and Isara next to it. The tank had suffered engine problems, and Rosie had taken a shot to her leg, though Rosie had insisted on staying to guard the Edelweiss while Isara fixed it. Welkin, on the other hand, had left the tank on the beach to command the other Sevens._

_Things had quieted down in comparison to the early parts of the battle. Marina had half-expected to be hit by a stray antitank shell or a mortar on several occasions, but both had proven extremely inaccurate throughout the battle for the Imperials. A few from Squads Two and Six had been killed, but Squad Seven had once again come out with zero casualties. Vyse had been hit in the arm by a sniper, however, and was now at the Gallian staging area with Aika to receive medical attention._

_From her perch, where she was to help keep the beachhead secure, Marina watched as Rosie and Isara spoke about something she couldn't make out. Yet there was one thing Marina saw clearly: the two were being quite friendly to each other. This was unexpected, as Rosie tended to show a cold shoulder to Isara. After Fouzen, however, Rosie seemed to be on better terms with her as of late._

_Suddenly, Marina saw a faint glint of light coming from atop the beachhead's opposite cliff. She raised her scope to peer at the source of light._

_It was as she feared: it was an Imperial sniper. Though he appeared to be wounded, his rifle was aimed down at the Edelweiss – Rosie and Isara were completely exposed to him!_

_Marina quickly surmised that any attempt she could make to counter the Imperial would be highly difficult. He was at least 600 meters away, long even for her GSR-XX. It was also quite windy at her altitude; the wind could easily blow her shot off course. If she didn't do something, however, he would have an easy shot at his range._

_Then, briefly removing her eye from her scope, Marina saw another glint below her to the left. It was another sniper. Marina looked down to see the sniper, but she couldn't tell who it was, for he wore a white shroud meant to camouflage him. Whoever it was, he had seen the Imperial sniper. Surely he would take the shot. He was much closer._

_But he didn't._

_The sniper turned away from the Imperial and crept away. Marina was met by a mixture of fury and astonishment. He was letting the Imperial sniper go!_

"_Dammit…!"_

_Acting quickly, she raised her rifle. She only had one chance to stop the sniper from firing, and she had to make her shot fast. She centered the crosshairs of her sniper scope on the Imperial's head._

_Her finger closed around the trigger._

_Two bangs went off, one after another._

"…_!"_

_Marina couldn't believe it. She had missed. The round had passed barely an inch to the left of the sniper's head, blown off-course by a cross breeze. The bullet had almost grazed him, but the miss had allowed him to get off his shot._

_Through her scope, Marina watched as the sniper was gunned down by a spray of submachine gun fire from Rosie. A second later, Marina came to a dread realization: Rosie had shot down the sniper. He hadn't targeted her…_

_Slowly, Marina looked down at the Edelweiss. Isara, her shawl covered in blood, lay on her side motionlessly. The round had gone clean through her chest, dead center._

_Marina winced as Rosie screamed for a medic. Deep down she knew Isara wasn't going to make it. The bullet had likely hit her heart. She shut her eyes in a pained grimace._

"…_No…"_

_Marina trembled as Rosie continued to cry out for help. Then, rushing as quickly as she could, Fina ran toward Rosie. But even though Fina reached Rosie and Isara, assuring the Darcsen that she would live, Marina knew that Fina couldn't save her._

_All she could do was watch as Isara weakly raised a hand to Rosie, who clasped it in her own, trying to reassure the Darcsen that everything would be alright. Isara could only smile softly at Rosie as more of the Sevens rushed down the beach to them._

_Then, Marina saw Isara shut her eyes as her hand fell limp. Her head fell to her side. Rosie, terrified, tried to stir the Darcsen girl. It was no use._

_Isara was dead._

_Guilt overtook Marina as Rosie cried out mournfully. Around her, many of the other Sevens were left stricken by the stark realization that Isara was gone. Welkin, who showed up a few seconds later, was left with a mute expression of shock and disbelief upon seeing the body of his dead sister._

_But unlike the others, whose faces were wet with tears, Marina could not cry._

* * *

Rosie knew what Marina was thinking of just by her expression alone. Marina, it seemed, hadn't gotten over her guilt at letting Isara die.

Now stumbling away from Rosie, Marina continued to utter, "I couldn't save her… Isara… it's my fault… all of it…"

Marina couldn't see it any other way. Cezary had put it just so: she had missed and Isara had paid for it with her life. It wasn't that he hadn't taken the shot; it was that she failed to make hers count.

"…It's my fault she's dead, Rosie… It's all my fault they're dead…"

Suddenly, Rosie felt her face become white hot with anger. She couldn't stand seeing Marina wallowing in self-pity any longer.

"Marina!" Rosie shouted, prompting the sniper to look toward her.

Marina then felt Rosie's fist collide with her face. The blow sent her straight to the ground, adding a new bruise to her prior injuries. Marina grimaced as she gasped in pain.

As Marina was nursing her cheek, Rosie said angrily, "Will you cut that crap out already? You think just because you've made a few mistakes in the past that you're the only one who has to take responsibility for it?"

"…!" Marina was left bewildered by Rosie's words. Her eyes, which were now both visible, shot wide open.

"I'm just as guilty for Isara's death as you are, Marina! I was right next to her when she was shot! I kept telling her she'd be alright and… and she saw right through me." Her tone now quieting down, but still filled with misery, Rosie continued, "She knew I was lying to her."

Then, to her shock, Marina saw that Rosie was starting to cry. Small tears slid down Rosie's freckled face, but she refused to break down.

"She knew I couldn't do anything to save her, and she just smiled at me," Rosie said as she continued. "I… I tried to tell her I was sorry… sorry for being such a jerk to her all those times. But she was gone before I could say it…" Rosie winced painfully as she continued, "You think you've got it bad, Marina? I've got it a hundred times worse!"

Marina couldn't find anything to say to Rosie's confession. There really wasn't anything she could say.

Then, Rosie added, "But I'm just gonna have to live with that for the rest of my life, Marina. It's tough, I know, but I can't change what happened."

Marina suddenly recalled some of Selvaria's words.

_We do not get such second chances…_

Marina was forced to see the truth behind it, and behind Cezary's words. Nothing she did would bring Isara back. There was no second chance, no way to truly redeem herself for her failure. It was a cruel truth, but a truth. Isara was gone and she could never come back.

Getting to her feet, Marina said to Rosie, "That hurt, Rosie…"

"Sorry," said Rosie, "but I had to knock some sense into you somehow."

After a short pause, Marina took a last look down at the bodies of the Darcsen family. Then, averting her gaze, Marina walked out of the yard and said, "I need to make one more stop."

"Sure. Lead the way, Marina," Rosie answered.

* * *

Welkin looked frantically around the base upon exiting the hospital. He saw no sign of Alicia besides the many soldiers who were now conversing over how Gallia's Valkyria had awakened. He knew exactly where to look, though, and quickly took off toward Squad Seven's barracks.

In the crowd, Juno and Catherine saw Welkin running toward the barracks. As he passed, Juno shouted, "Welkin, wait! I have to–"

Welkin completely ignored her, along with most of the other Sevens he rushed by, too consumed with worry over Alicia. Juno knew this, having seen Alicia pass by only a few seconds before.

"Come on," Catherine said to Juno after a moment. Catherine took the lead as the two ran after Welkin.

Within seconds, Welkin reached the door to his office, where he had hidden the Ragnite Lance and Shield. It seemed, however, that Alicia knew where to look.

"Alicia!" Welkin shouted as he barged into the office.

Alicia turned to face him. She was now dressed partially in a female uniform, though she had not bothered to button up her shirt, exposing the bandages that wrapped around her chest. Cobalt fire continued to surround her body. And in her hands were what Welkin feared: the Ragnite Lance and Shield.

"Alicia, don't do this," Welkin pleaded. "You need your rest."

"I cannot, Lieutenant Gunther," said Alicia. "Randgriz is threatened by the Empire, and I must fulfill my duty as Gallia's protector."

"Alicia, you can barely stand, let alone fight! You–"

"My wounds are of little consequence!" Alicia snapped harshly. "And I care not for your concerns! Now get out of my way!"

As Alicia made for the door, Welkin stepped in front of her and said sternly, "No! If you want to leave, you'll have to go through me first!"

In that instant, Welkin realized just how stupid his sentence had just been. Alicia could blow him away with a simple gesture if she wanted to. What chance did he have of stopping her? Still, he couldn't think to do anything else.

Standing before him, Alicia scowled at Welkin's insistence. Why was he bothering to try and stop her? Didn't he see that she was needed if Gallia was to survive? She had to go, even if it meant going through him!

"So be it," Alicia said after a pause.

Welkin's eyes widened with shock as Alicia thrust her shield forward, unleashing a quick burst of energy from it. Welkin yelped as he was blown back by the concussive force, crashing into a wall behind him. He hit the wall headfirst, a blow to the back of his cranium.

With a short moan of "Alicia…," Welkin toppled over and lost consciousness.

Standing nearby in an adjacent hallway, Juno shrieked in terror as she rushed to Welkin's side, having seen him strike his head against the wall. She knelt down next to him, trying to stir Welkin. To her relief, he was alive. The blow had only knocked him out.

Then, as Catherine rushed up beside her, Juno turned to see Alicia come up to them, the Ragnite Lance and Shield in hand. Juno was too scared to be angry with Alicia; rather, she was mortified that she could do such a thing to Welkin.

But then Juno noticed something. Alicia had tears in her eyes. It had clearly hurt her to have to harm Welkin.

"Welkin… I'm sorry…" said Alicia, her voice in its normal, gentle tone. Then, turning to Juno, she added, "Juno… Look after him for me…"

Juno was caught off-guard by this request. Why was she asking her to do such a thing? Did she not expect to return?

"Alicia…?" said Juno.

"You love him, don't you? Always love him, Juno, just as I have."

Juno gasped silently, realizing the meaning to Alicia's words. Alicia must have seen her kiss Welkin the night before Ghirlandaio.

"Take care of him…" said Alicia. "Goodbye Welkin…"

Without another word, Alicia left the barracks, leaving Juno and Catherine to tend to Welkin. Juno watched her leave, and then shut her eyes, overwhelmed by guilt.

* * *

The prison convoy rolled through the Gallian countryside. Two of the gun-mounted jeeps took the front and rear positions, respectively. The other two were positioned between the second and third, and fourth and fifth transports, also respectively. A few Gallians were in the jeeps' passenger seats, while more hung from the back of each transport. Inside each transport were an allotment of prisoners and a few Gallian guards. The guards weren't numbered enough to handle the prisoners themselves, but the others outside were adequate backup.

Cezary sat in the first transport in the convoy, seated near the rear exit flap. His eyes regularly twitched in Elvin's direction; the Imperial sergeant was seated near the driver's compartment. Elvin kept his gaze on Cezary, watching for anything suspicious. Yet the Imperial seemed alert to more than just Cezary; he also listened for any sounds, signals, or the like.

Cezary checked his watch. It was 2:25. The convoy had left the base at around 1:55. They should have been at the supposed ambush point by now. Cezary wondered if perhaps the ambush had been called off or if they had taken a different route. Maybe help wasn't coming…

Out of the blue, Cezary heard a faint popping sound, followed by an explosion. The lead jeep erupted in flames as it was struck by a rifle grenade.

In that instant, everything went crazy. Rifles and submachine guns cracked from the trees as the Gallian escorts clamored to defend themselves. The jeeps' machineguns came to life as they sprayed into the trees, trying to counter the Imperial attack. Two Imperial halftracks came out of camouflage and their gunners fired on the Gallian escort. The rear jeep was hit by a second rifle grenade, which destroyed its engine but left its gun standing.

Then, Elvin shouted, "NOW!"

The guards inside the truck quickly tried to subdue Elvin, but were jumped by the other prisoners. They quickly took whatever weapons they could from him, turning them against their Gallian jailors. In the hectic scrambling, one of the Imperials bumped into Cezary, sending him toppling head over heels out of the transport.

Almost immediately after getting to his feet, Cezary wished he were still in the vehicle; the fighting was so chaotic it was hard to tell who was on whose side. It was exactly the kind of situation Cezary didn't want to be in: a close-quarters firefight. Acting on instinct, Cezary snatched a combat knife from the body of a nearby Gallian.

Then, after a moment, Cezary saw Kevin frantically swinging around his submachine gun, trying to pick out a target. He had no idea Cezary was right behind him.

"Which one do I– There's so many of them!" Kevin stammered. Then, he swung around to see Cezary before him. In his panic, his submachine gun aimed in the sniper's direction. But he didn't shoot, unable to decide whether or not to kill his former friend.

Suddenly, Kevin gasped in pain as Cezary's knife entered his chest, piercing his heart.

"How pathetic," Cezary whispered in Kevin's ear. "You still can't even decide when to pull the trigger. Well you should have, Abbot. Too late now."

"C-Ce… za…" Kevin couldn't finish, and fell to the ground on his back, dead.

For a brief second, Cezary looked down at Kevin's corpse, yet not out of pity. Then, realizing he was still in a battle, he ducked down and took Kevin's pistol from its holster, opting not to use his submachine gun.

Then, Cezary suddenly got the familiar feeling that a pair of eyes were fixed on him. Turning, he saw Mintz looking in horror at Cezary, kneeling over the body of Kevin. Cezary's hand was still stained with Kevin's blood.

"You… You traitor!" Mintz shouted, raising his rifle furiously.

He wasn't fast enough. Cezary had already raised Kevin's pistol and fired, hitting Mintz squarely in the chest. Mintz staggered for a moment in disbelief, and then toppled over, twitching slightly on the ground.

Looking at Mintz, Cezary smirked and said, "Tch, dark-hairs…"

Bullets pinged near Cezary's feet a second later. Startled, Cezary looked to see another Gallian soldier taking potshots at him.

Before Cezary could take a shot, he heard an Imperial voice shout, "Regard, get over here, now!"

Surprised, Cezary turned to see Elvin signaling for him to come. Deciding he would take his chances, Cezary scurried back to the truck and jumped in as bullets whizzed by.

Elvin, holding a submachine gun in his hands, turned his head and shouted, "Klaus, you have the wheel yet?"

"Yes sir!" shouted a voice from the driver's compartment.

Then, a loud boom came from down the road, and one of the halftracks became a ball of fire and scrap. Shocked, Elvin tried to look down the road to see what had caused it. Cezary did the same, and saw the cause before Elvin did: two Gallian light tanks were rolling up to the convoy, and fired on the Imperial raiders.

"Tanks!" Cezary shouted.

Elvin saw them as the rear tank fired a round, which smashed into a tree and sent splinters in all directions. Turning to his driver, Elvin shouted, "Get us out of here! Step on it!"

The driver immediately complied, stomping down on the gas pedal. The transport smashed into the wrecked jeep before it, pushing the broken vehicle off the road easily. The second and third transports followed suit, but a tank round struck the fifth. The truck, and its occupants, went up in flames. With the tanks approaching, the raiders turned and fled, unable to help the rest of the prisoners.

Within seconds, Cezary knew that he and the others in the first transport had gotten out of range of the tanks. Looking back, he saw that, in total, four of the six trucks had made it away. The fifth had been destroyed, and the sixth would surely be captured. The tarp of the fourth transport was on fire, and the Imperial prisoners were trying to unhook it from its frame.

As Cezary tried to sit back down, one of the Imperials grabbed him by the collar and shouted, "You tipped them off, didn't you?"

"Come again?" Cezary asked with a sneer.

"They wouldn't have brought tanks if they hadn't known about the ambush! You tried to sell us out, you stinking–"

"Schulze, that's enough!" shouted Elvin, separating the Imperial from Cezary. "If he had told them about the ambush, I'd have known of it. Besides, those tanks weren't in escort positions; the Gallian commander probably sent them after the convoy on some hunch."

"But–"

"Besides, I saw him shoot down two of his former Gallian comrades, both of them Sevens. No spy would be that convincing."

Cezary was caught off guard by Elvin defending him. Just a short while before, Elvin had threatened to kill him. Now he treated him like a brother-in-arms. It didn't exactly make sense.

As the Imperial called Schulze backed down, Cezary said nothing to thank Elvin, although it wasn't necessary. Elvin got the hint from his expression.

"So what do we do now?" asked one of the Imperials.

"We head for Vasel," said Elvin. "Our informant told me that Lord Maximilian's forces have taken the city. We'll head there and reinforce them. There's no way we'll reach the border from where we are."

"Sounds good to me," said Cezary.

"What do you mean by that, Gallian?" asked another Imperial.

With a short smirk, Cezary answered, "I've still got a score to settle with a certain ghost."

* * *

A few minutes passed as Marina and Rosie walked out of the village. Though Rosie thought they were sure to get lost in the woods, Marina seemed to know the way on instinct. Rosie then remembered how Marina had lived in these woods for twenty years; she would know them inside-out by now.

After a short while, the two came upon a small cabin in the woods, which appeared to be abandoned. Rosie quickly surmised that this was Marina's home, considering how isolated it was.

"Is this your place, Marina?" Rosie asked.

"…Yeah…"

"Looks cozy."

Marina disregarded this as she walked to a spot beside the cabin. Rosie followed and soon found herself looking at a pair of gravestones. One bore the name 'Marcus Wulfstan', while the other had the name 'Lucilla Wulfstan'. Rosie wasn't familiar with the second name, but assumed it to be Marina's mother.

"Are these…"

"My mother and father," Marina finished, confirming Rosie's expectation. "I never knew my mother; she died when I was born."

"And your dad died from cancer when you were fourteen," Rosie added. "I heard the stories."

"They're wrong."

"What?" Rosie didn't know what Marina meant.

There was a long pause. Then, Marina turned to Rosie and said, "…Rosie, what I'm about to tell you stays between us, alright?"

Rosie felt the seriousness of Marina's tone. Whatever secret Marina was trying to keep, it was big.

"Alright. Between you and me."

Marina looked around for a moment, making sure Ellet wasn't around to hear them. She was nowhere to be seen, and though the reporter was good at hiding she wouldn't have been able to hide from Marina easily.

Turning back to Rosie, Marina said, "My dad didn't die from the cancer… He died because…" Marina paused, took a deep breath, and then said, "Because I killed him…"

"W-What…?" Rosie gasped as her eyes widened in bewilderment.

Marina shut her eyes in shame as she began her story.

* * *

_A fourteen-year-old Marina carried a pot of steaming water through the cabin, pouring it into a small basin filled with various powders and small portions of other liquid. As the contents swirled, Marina choked a bit on the smell of the medicine she was preparing for her father. The doctors had warned her that it would smell bad, though she could only imagine how horrible it would taste. It would, however, numb the pain her father was feeling and partially alleviate his symptoms. In the end, however, Marina wondered if it would do any good. The doctors said that her father's condition was terminal. Marina was determined not to let him die. He just couldn't die like this, not when she still had so much to learn from him._

_Within moments, Marina finished preparing her father's medicine. Pouring the mixture into an iron mug, Marina brought the steaming drink into the main room. Her father, his beard and hair somewhat grayed as a result of aging, sat in his favorite rocking chair near the window. Small bits of dry blood were spattered on his beard._

_As she approached her father, Marina said, "Dad? I brought your medicine."_

_Marcus did not acknowledge Marina at first, but slowly turned his head to face her. Marina brought the mixture to Marcus' lips, trying to coax him into drinking it. Marcus quickly choked on the medicine._

_Through clenched teeth, Marcus said in a hoarse voice, "I swear… this shit will kill me faster than my lungs." He coughed several times after this._

"_I-I'm sorry, Dad," Marina said apologetically. "I'm not sure if I mixed it right. But you need to drink it if you want to stop the pain."_

_Marina tried to get Marcus to drink again, but Marcus pushed the mug away. "I'm not touching that stuff again, Marina. The doctors told me I'm a dead man anyways, and I'd rather not make the wait any worse."_

_Concerned, Marina slowly set aside the medicine, knowing she wasn't about to get her father to continue taking it._

"_Is… Is there anything you want, Dad?" Marina asked._

_Coughing loudly, Marcus said, "There is, actually… Marina, I want you to do one thing for me."_

"_Anything, dad!"_

_Turning his head, Marcus gestured to a table next to Marina. As she turned to it, he said, "Take that gun, Marina. Right now."_

_Though confused, Marina complied and took hold of the pistol, a Colt .45. It was surprisingly lightweight, though Marina could tell it was loaded._

_As Marina held the gun, Marcus said, "Now, I want you to shoot me."_

_Marina thought she had misheard her father. He wanted her to kill him?_

"_D-Dad?" Marina said in disbelief._

"_I didn't kill over a hundred men ten years ago just so I could die to some goddamn disease. If I'm gonna die, I want to be done with it quickly. Now do as I say and pull that trigger."_

_Marina was left petrified in shock. How could her father ask her to do such a thing? But at the same time, how could she disobey him? This was the man who had raised her for fourteen years, and had taught her everything she knew about hunting and fighting. She owed everything she had to him. How could she kill him?_

_She slowly raised the pistol, pointing it at Marcus. Her hands, however, were trembling violently. Her fear was palpable. Marcus stared back at her with his strong grey eyes, knowing she was scared. He showed no fear of death as her finger tightened around the trigger._

_After a moment of stillness, Marcus said, "What are you waiting for, Marina?" Coughing loudly, Marcus then shouted, "DO IT!"_

_That was it. Marina shut her eyes in guilt as she lowered the gun._

"_Dad, I… I'm sorry. I… I can't do it!"_

_Marcus suddenly took a furious tone as he said, "Have I taught you nothing, Marina? You'd disrespect my last wishes like this? You'd deny me my last request?"_

"_D-Dad, I–" Marina's eyes began to water as she tried to apologize._

"_I've taught you everything I know for the past ten years. I've showed you how to move invisibly, how stalk your prey in silence, how to fight like the wolves of this forest, and most importantly how to survive. And this is how you repay me? You owe this to me, Marina!"_

_Marcus suddenly coughed loudly, spewing blood onto the floor. Marina, shocked to see this, moved to try and help her father. Marcus quickly rose from his chair and shoved Marina, knocking her into a cabinet._

_As she recovered, Marcus snarled, "You'll give me what I want!"_

_Marcus advanced on Marina, readying his hands to try and throttle her. Recovering, Marina was just able to dodge a lunge from her father, stepping away from him in terror. Marina instinctively directed the gun in her hands at Marcus, now stricken with fear and shock._

"_Dad, what are you doing? Dad? DAD!" Marina shrieked._

_In a deranged manner, Marcus snarled as he closed in on Marina, his hands poised to strangle his own daughter. Fright was written across Marina's face as the pistol in her hands shook uncontrollably. Then, Marcus roared as he lunged._

_Marina shut her eyes and screamed as she pulled the trigger._

_Following the deafening bang, there was silence, besides Marina's own panicked breathing._

"_D-Dad?"_

_Marina slowly opened her eyes and looked to her father. To her horror, he now lay on the floor, his heart pierced by the bullet. Blood coated his chest._

"…_!"_

_Marina couldn't believe what she had just done. The Colt slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground. She fell to her knees next to her father's body._

"_Dad…"_

_Then, Marina looked at her father's face. He was smiling proudly. Marina quickly realized why: her father had planned this all along._

_Tears began to stream down Marina's face upon this realization. She didn't even notice the door opening as a 25-year-old Catherine entered, having heard the gunshot from outside. Horror was written across her face at the sight of Marcus' body._

_Catherine watched as Marina cried out in sorrow. For what seemed like an eternity, Marina's wails could be heard from the cabin and echoed through the forest._

* * *

"My God…" Rosie uttered silently.

Rosie's face was written with shock to Marina's confession. The truth that she had killed her own father was hard to stomach. For a brief moment, Rosie felt as though she were about to vomit.

Turning back to face the graves of her parents, Marina said, "I kept crying for more than a day after that. There were even moments where I wanted to kill myself for what I did. But after two nights, when I woke up… I couldn't cry. I didn't feel sad. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't… It was as if I lost a piece of my soul. I guess that's what my dad wanted: he wanted me to harden my heart. You did a good job, Dad."

Rosie couldn't find anything to say, yet her mouth stayed open as if trying to speak. Marina could tell she found the revelation abhorrent.

"…Just say it, Rosie…"

There was a moment of silence before Rosie said, to Marina's surprise, "Wow… I had no idea your dad was such a nutjob…"

Marina was caught completely off guard by this remark. She was joking about it? Yet for some reason, Marina was not angered by this.

"But if you think about it," Rosie continued, "wasn't he kinda doing you a favor? He taught you all about how to fight and hunt, but he hadn't taught you anything about what it was like to kill, right?"

"…No… he didn't… not for another person…"

"So, maybe by having you kill him, he was teaching you what it was like. It's harsh, I know, but… it makes sense."

Rosie had a good point, Marina thought. She had seen a number of young soldiers in the militia recoil in horror at the idea of killing another person. Susie Evans was a prime example, and thanks to her reluctance she hadn't killed or even wounded a single enemy soldier throughout the war. Marina was, in a way, lucky in that she had already experienced what it was like to take another person's life. At this point, she had killed so many Imperial soldiers that she was able to sleep off such an act within minutes if needed.

Yet this just brought more questions to Marina's thoughts…

"…But… why did he want to teach me that?" Marina said, as if in soliloquy.

Next to her, Rosie was left in thought about Marina's question. It was very deep, and surely had no concrete answers. Did Marcus do such a thing because he wanted Marina to become a soldier? Was that all he had meant for her to be as he raised her? Was he intending to make her a heartless killer Gallia would call upon in times of war?

Rosie couldn't be sure, and neither could Marina. The only one who would have had the answers was Marcus himself, and his reasons had died with him.

A few seconds after Marina's question, Rosie said, "I dunno, Marina. But I bet if he were alive, he'd be pretty damn impressed with you. I mean, you've outdone him and then some." With a brief laugh, she added, "You took down a freakin' Valkyria! I don't think he ever did that."

"…No… he didn't…"

Rosie seemed to have hit the mark there. Marcus had tallied just over a hundred kills twenty years before, and Marina had surpassed that. Since Fouzen, her name had spread across the country as the Ghost of Gallia, a peerless marksman and a terror to the Imperial soldiers. And only recently, she had defeated Selvaria Bles, Valkyria of the Empire. That last accomplishment was bittersweet to Marina, but thinking upon it she knew that, were her father still alive, he would have been proud of her, despite any shortcomings she had made.

Turning back to Rosie, Marina said, "Thanks, Rosie."

Rosie was taken aback, but not by Marina's words. It was the smile on Marina's face. "Are you smiling, Marina?"

Marina suddenly realized that she had smiled – something she almost never did in front of others. Yet she was unable to lower her expression.

"I guess so…"

Almost laughing, Rosie said, "Well, isn't this something? Ted's been trying for eight months and now I get to rub it in his face."

This made Marina's smile vanish. If Ted learned about this, she'd never hear the end of it from him. The thought was revolting.

"Just kidding," Rosie added. "Ted's not getting a word out of me about this."

"…Thanks."

As Rosie laughed a little longer, Ellet came running out of the woods, looking rather concerned. "Hey, you guys!" she shouted.

Ellet skidded to a stop in front of the two as Rosie asked, "What is it, Ellet?"

"A message from the base. The Imperials are moving on Randgriz and they've already taken Vasel!"

"What?" Rosie thought for a second that she had misheard Ellet, but it wasn't the case.

"Yeah, I thought the guy was joking too. Listen, the Militia want us to meet up with them at the field base at Naggiar. We gotta go now if we're gonna catch them!"

"Then we'd better get going. Come on, Marina."

Rosie began to leave, but stopped when she realized that Marina had stopped to take a last look at her father's tombstone. Though a part of her wanted to get Marina away from the marker, she decided against it.

Marina made a short nod to the grave, then turned and followed Rosie out of the forest.

* * *

Marina's group entered the Militia base at Naggiar on the following day. The men and women there were busy getting ready to depart again, having only gotten a short while to rest and refuel their vehicles.

Leaving their jeep, Marina and Rosie saw Captain Varrot next to Largo, rubbing her eyes tensely. Something had obviously come up that bothered her.

Largo noticed Rosie as she approached and said, "Rosie, glad you and Marina are both here."

"We got the message," said Rosie. "Is it–"

"Yeah, it is. Vasel's been taken, and the Imperials are moving on Randgriz. They'll reach the capitol long before we even get close to Vasel."

"How the hell did they sneak in like that?"

"Wish I knew. And it gets worse…"

Largo turned to a group of ambulances that was busy treating a group of recently wounded soldiers. Mintz was among the wounded, and Mina was furiously trying to stop him from bleeding to death while she tried to remove a bullet from his chest.

"What happened?" asked Marina.

"The prison convoy was attacked," Varrot answered. "Over half of the prisoners managed to escape, even though I had sent a small tank escort. We only recovered a few of the prisoners."

Marina grimaced at this, and then asked, "What about–"

"There was no sign of Cezary when reinforcements arrived. We're assuming he escaped with the others."

"Dammit…"

The news of Cezary's disappearance made a large pit in Marina's stomach. With him loose again, there was no telling what kind of damage he could cause.

"That isn't even the worst of it," said Largo. "Alicia overheard the news about Vasel yesterday and took off on her own. She's still in pretty bad shape. The boss tried to stop her, but she hit him pretty hard. He'll be alright, but he hasn't woken up yet."

This news only worsened Marina's mood. Things were continually going from bad to worse. Cezary had escaped, the majority of the Gallian Army was in ruins, and now the Imperials were now en route to Randgriz.

But this last piece of news was what concerned Marina. Alicia was clearly losing control of her power.

_Please, if I become a threat, promise you'll take care of me._

Alicia's plea echoed through Marina's mind, sending an unfamiliar dread through her. Had Alicia become a threat to Gallia? Marina sincerely hoped it was not the case, but if she had attacked Welkin, who knew what she was capable of.

If she had indeed become a threat, Marina would have no choice but to kill her…

* * *

Squad Seven's tent was pitched at the far end of the Naggiar camp. The Sevens were busy readying themselves to move out again. They were tired, but they worked nonetheless as best they could.

Inside the tent, Welkin lay unconscious on a makeshift bed with bandages wrapped around his head. Nearby, Juno was busy soaking a cloth in some water and wringing it out.

Then, she heard Welkin stir. Quickly turning, she saw him bolt upright and exclaim, "Alicia!"

Rushing over to him, Juno said, "Welkin, Welkin, take it easy."

Welkin quickly realized what had happened to him upon touching his head, feeling the bandages. Turning to Juno, Welkin asked rapidly, "Juno, where's Alicia? Where–"

"Alicia's gone, Welkin," Juno answered in a tone of apology. "She's probably halfway to Randgriz by now."

"No…" Wincing, Welkin lowered his head and clasped it in his hands.

Then, Juno said, "Welkin… I'm sorry… this is my fault."

"Juno, what are you talking about?"

"If… if I hadn't kissed you that night, Alicia wouldn't be acting like this. Welkin, she saw us. She thinks you picked me over her."

It clicked in for Welkin what Juno was saying. Alicia had accepted her nature as a Valkyria because she thought that he didn't love her, but that he loved Juno. In a way, Juno was partly responsible. But how could he blame her for it? She hadn't meant for it to happen.

"Juno, don't blame yourself for all this," said Welkin. "I…" Welkin didn't know what else to say, so he stopped.

Juno then said, "Welkin, I know you love her, and I'm just going to have to accept that. I still love you, but I also want you to be happy… so if that means you want to be with Alicia, I won't get in the way."

Welkin was touched by Juno's confession. She was so understanding, despite that she was clearly torn up inside about the whole thing.

Slowing stepping back toward Welkin, Juno added, "But Welkin… If anything happens, I'll be there for you. I promise."

Welkin began to shed tears at this gesture of love. Smiling, he said, "Thank you, Juno." The three words warmed Juno's heart, causing her to smile. Then, getting to his feet and turning to the exit, Welkin said, "I have to get back to the others."

"Wait, Welkin…" Juno said suddenly. Welkin turned to her as she said, "Before you go… could… could you please give me… one last kiss? Just one…?"

Though somewhat taken aback by this, Welkin found himself entranced by Juno's eyes. She knew that this would be her only chance to truly express herself, and Welkin knew he couldn't say no.

Without a word, Welkin walked up to Juno, placing his hands on her shoulders… and kissed her deeply. For that moment in time, Juno's heart felt like it was beating faster than it had ever done before. She wrapped her arms around him, deepening the passionate embrace. She wished it could go on forever.

But a mere few seconds after it had started, Welkin pulled away. The moment their lips parted, Juno felt her heart freeze. That was it. That was the closest she was ever going to get to Welkin. Juno almost began to cry at this realization, but only let a few tears slide down her face.

As she rested her head against his chest, Juno whispered tenderly, "Welkin… No matter what happens, I'll always love you…"

**End of Chapter 9**

Now to get to work on Chapter 10, which is during the Second Battle of Vasel. For that, I'm going to need to find a copy of Enemy at the Gates and watch it for inspiration.

As for this chapter, I have to say one of the hardest parts was getting some of Marina's issues across with the right words. Writing up her flashbacks wasn't too hard, but showing how they affected her was. My means for Cezary's escape went through at least a dozen rewrites, with me finally coming up with something thanks to watching some Star Wars: TIE Fighter videos (that game is absolutely awesome, by the way). And then we had Juno... oh boy, that was a doozy.

Now leave some reviews already. And as I said before, SORRY FOR THE DELAY!

P.S. I added those lines because of the changes made which prevents the usual few dashes to separate scenes. Dunno why they did that.


	10. Chapter 10

**F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.!.**

I know you're all going to be saying that too. For now, I'm just glad that I've finally managed to get this chapter finished. And let me warn you in advance: it's definitely going to be the longest chapter I've ever written. In MS Word 2007, it comes out to 87 PAGES, and over 34000 WORDS! So make sure you set aside an hour or two to read this; it'll take you a while.

Why I was delayed so much? I'll pin the primary blame on Starcraft 2; it's too damn addictive. But other hitches like university issues definitely are contributors as well.

And then as for the chapter itself, I had to get things JUST the way I wanted. Note that with so much that I've written into the chapter, I'm bound to have made some errors or made some line repetitions, so try not to be so stingy about it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my tenth chapter to Lone Wulf. I highly doubt you'll be disappointed.

Oh, and a cookie to anyone who can find the VC2 easter egg of this chapter.

**Chapter 10: Duel of the Hunters**

Smoke and screams filled the sky over the capital city of Randgriz. The city's great walls and massive gate had been smashed, destroyed by the enormous Imperial war machine known as Marmota. The land battleship had effortlessly broken through the walls, plowing through them and Randgriz's streets unhindered.

Now the Marmota rested at the foot of Castle Randgriz, sitting before its great spire. The castle courtyard had been left in ruins, and was swarming with elite Imperial soldiers and tanks. Many of the royal guards now littered the castle grounds as corpses. A few maids and stewards were among the dead, having been caught in the crossfire.

At that very moment, inside the pearl-white halls of Castle Randgriz's throne room, Maximilian retracted his right hand as he stood over Princess Cordelia, who winced as she lay on the floor at his feet. A royal knife lay in his left hand, one the princess had tried to stab him with. For her defiance, Maximilian had struck her lightly.

"What delightful barbarism…" Maximilian cooed amusedly, staring down at the princess.

The Imperial prince still found it hard to believe that the girl who lay at his feet, whom he had thought to be a holy descendent of the Valkyrur, was actually a Darcsen. But Cordelia's short dark-blue hair was proof enough of her heritage. Her family, throughout many generations, had played part in an intriguing façade masquerading as descendents of the Valkyrur. In reality, their ancestors had only aided the original Valkyria in their conquest of Gallia. It was ironic, Maximilian thought, and at the same time it was a real problem. He had only believed such a story to be a myth. Now knowing this truth, he would not be able to use the princess to sway the people of Gallia to accept his divine rule. She could easily reveal the truth to them. He would have to resort to conquest rather than divinity. But he knew that despite the revelation of the princess' heritage, he would still get what he came for. A great and ancient weapon, Valkof, lay dormant in Randgriz's spire, waiting to be revived. With it, it wouldn't matter whether or not the people of Gallia accepted him as their king. Fear of annihilation would keep them in line. And with the Valkof, he would be able to take his revenge upon his father, Emperor Reginrave, for the death of his mother.

The prince watched as Cordelia trembled as she tried to stand up. She was surprisingly frail; Maximilian had barely slapped her and already she shook as if she had been nearly beaten to death. Maximilian suspected it was not pain that made her quiver, but fear. Cordelia turned to face Maximilian; he couldn't help but admire how beautiful the sixteen-year-old Darcsen princess was. If anything, her dark-blue hair only accented her beauty, complementing her shadowy blue eyes and smooth skin.

Smirking, Maximilian said, "Do all Gallian brides share your lust for blood, Your Highness?"

Cordelia said nothing, simply returning a cold stare. Yet Maximilian did not waver, for Cordelia's blue eyes betrayed her fear to him. He lifted the knife to her throat slowly, prompting Cordelia to turn her head away from the blade with a short, frightened breath. She was clearly terrified, but at the same time fought her fear of death admirably.

With the blade hovering near her throat, Maximilian said, "Shall I satiate your thirst, then?"

Cordelia shut her eyes, believing Maximilian was going to end her life. To her surprise, the blade moved away from her neck. She slowly opened her eyes again. Horrified, she saw Maximilian advancing on Prime Minister Borg, who was standing nearby under the watch of two Imperial guards. Maximilian's movements were measured and ominous in Cordelia's eyes.

"P-Prince Maximilian, wait! Have I not shown my loyalty to you?" Borg pleaded, clearly aware of what Maximilian intended.

Borg had every right to be afraid. Up to this point, he had secretly aided Maximilian in his war against Gallia, so that when the dust settled he would be made ruler of the country. But Maximilian had betrayed him; the prince had gone back on his word and intended to take the country for himself. Now it seemed he wished to take what little Borg had left to give: his life.

As Maximilian walked up to Borg, knife in hand, his face did not break from its stoic expression. Borg, on the other hand, made clear that he desired the prince's mercy.

"I-I'm sure we can come to some arran– GAH!"

Cordelia shrieked as Maximilian grasped Borg's shoulder and drove the royal knife right through his throat. The Prime Minister's face was written with shock as blood seeped from his wound. Borg gagged as his lungs filled with ichor.

Softly yet sternly, Maximilian said to Borg, "The Gallia of tomorrow has no need for your kind, Maurits von Borg."

Maximilian released his grip on the knife and on Borg, causing the Prime Minister to stumble back in disbelief. Blood ran down Borg's robes as he fell to his knees, clearly begging for his life, but unable to speak with blood filling his throat. He reached out pleadingly to Maximilian with his last breath, and then fell forward.

Cordelia could hardly believe what she had seen. Borg, despite being a traitor, had been her regent ever since she was a child. Now he lay dead before her, murdered by Maximilian, who used Cordelia's own blade to commit the deed.

A moment later, Cordelia watched as Maximilian turned to her and said, "If you desire safety for your people, it would behoove you to obey me, Highness. The Valkof is in my possession. To see your homeland burn again… that would be a shame. I will, however, spare your people's lives if you acquiesce to my terms."

Cordelia was unable to say anything to this, mute with horror at Maximilian's threat. Her face turned sickly pale; emotionally, she felt the same way. He had given her an impossible choice: watch her people suffer and die, or submit to his tyranny. Either way, it would spell Gallia's downfall.

Striding past Cordelia, without even looking her in the eye, Maximilian said, "You needn't decide on my offer immediately, Highness. I am a patient man." Then, turning to his bodyguards, Maximilian said, "Escort Her Highness onboard the Marmota, and see that she is accommodated. I will be in the spire."

Maximilian's four bodyguards advanced toward Cordelia, who nervously stood in place. Yet it wasn't the guards she was nervous about. It was the blonde prince who now strode away from her, intent on retrieving a weapon of unthinkable power.

And there she was, powerless to stop him.

* * *

The sky over the city of Vasel held a fair number of clouds, yet there was enough blue to keep the day from seeming completely dreary. Smoke and ash rose from the city, however, adding to the clouds that blocked the sun's rays. Sound also rose from Vasel: the sporadic beats of gunfire and cannon, the occasional shouts and screams of soldiers, and the faint roar of tank engines. Chaos had engulfed the city.

From the Gallian Remnant's temporary command post, Varrot was busy giving out tactical orders to the squads that were engaged in Vasel's streets via radio. Outside her tent, soldiers were being hurriedly ferried back from the city bearing new wounds or without limbs. Nearly the entire reserve force of the Remnants had been emptied; there soon wasn't going to be anyone left to send out.

For more than a day now the battle had raged on. Despite being outnumbered, the Imperial forces in Vasel had dug their heels deep into the city on the east end of the River Graz. Though the fighting had been chaotic at first, both sides were now being a tad more selective in their conflicts as losses mounted. The Imperials, despite suffering some losses, were faring well against the Gallians, having more control of Vasel's buildings, which snipers could use to reign supreme in the street fighting scenarios. The Gallians had an advantage in numbers, but this wasn't helping considering the Imperials' strong defenses. Thanks to snipers, machinegun nests and antitank positions, the Gallian advance had been slowed to a crawl.

Varrot listened to the incoming transmissions from her radio operators with narrowed eyes. She had known taking back Vasel was going to be difficult, but she hadn't expected to have to go up against Maximilian's last remaining Triumviri general, Radi Jaeger. She knew a good deal about the Fhiraldian general from intelligence reports: he was a specialist in tank combat and had seen countless battles, far more than her. He was also a tactical genius, and with Vasel as his battleground he had a strong defensive position. His men were among the best Maximilian had to offer, and they had the equipment to match.

As she listened to more urgent transmissions of squads requiring assistance and the like, Varrot worried that this battle was going to cost Gallia the war.

* * *

Catherine lay on her back next to a large opening in an adjacent wall. Her body was perfectly still, and tucked away to avoid allowing anyone to get a clear shot at her from outside the building.

An Imperial sniper had seen her and had nearly put a bullet into her neck only two minutes ago. Nearby was the dead body of a veteran sniper from Squad Eight, who had been the enemy sniper's victim. Now Catherine was pinned down, though thankfully the brick wall she was using for cover was tough enough to block an Imperial sniper round. But that sniper was not likely to miss twice; if she exposed even a limb, he'd probably take it clean off. Catherine had only evaded the sniper's second shot since she was a moving target.

Time was short, however. Imperial parties were busily scouring the buildings to try and take out any Gallian soldiers hiding inside, especially snipers. And a group of shock troopers was getting too close for comfort. They would be on top of her in another minute, and she would stand no chance against them.

Catherine inched her hand toward a shard of glass on the floor, carefully plucking it up in her fingertips. She edged the shard above her head at an angle, allowing a reflection of the buildings outside. The shard rotated in between her fingers.

Through the reflection, Catherine could see a sizable group of Imperial foot soldiers, at least six of them, moving through the street. The Imperials looked for any sign of movement and checked buildings as they went. They were only about sixty or so meters away from her building, and once they got inside she was as good as dead once they found her. Slowly, Catherine continued to turn the shard of glass in her fingers, changing the angle of its reflection.

She then saw him: the sniper who had pinned her down crouched next to an open window, at least several blocks away in a tall building. He wore elite red colors on his armor and held a Brondel MXX that looked as though it were aimed straight at her through the reflection. To her fortune, he seemed to be the only enemy sniper covering her area. The Imperial was still as a statue, entirely focused on keeping her in place while his comrades flushed her out. His finger hovered over his rifle's trigger. The moment she made a move, he would shoot her.

Catherine kept the reflection of her attacker before her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she prayed that help would arrive before it was too late.

A loud bang sounded down the street to Catherine's left. In the reflection, she saw the sniper's helmet jolt as a round struck its side. The Imperial slumped over, dead.

"…Target eliminated…" came a familiar voice in Catherine's earpiece.

Catherine sighed with relief. "Good job," she said graciously.

Cautiously, Catherine turned the glass shard toward the street, trying to see the Imperial squad. They crossed the reflection, running for cover in nearby buildings on the opposite side of the block. The Imperials, recognizing the sound of a Gallian sniper rifle, were obviously as worried about being picked off as she was. With all the buildings in Vasel, a sniper could be anywhere.

Seeing that she had a chance, Catherine stood up and made a low dash for the door, entering the hallway and relative safety.

* * *

A moment passed as Marina scanned the rooftops from her window in a tall house. She couldn't make out any more Imperial snipers, but they were certainly around in Vasel. Already she had taken out two others; the first one had exposed himself shooting down at Squad Two, while the other had taken a potshot at her and missed. Both were dead now, victims of her GSR-XXX's uncanny accuracy.

Yet the three snipers had been Marina's only kills so far. Welkin had issued an order to her and Squad Seven's other snipers to hunt down and kill the Imperial snipers, as well as any high priority targets of opportunity. In an environment like Vasel, they were at their most threatening, so Marina intended to follow the plan and take the pressure off the other Sevens. The other squads' snipers were busy taking out random Imperial soldiers, though doing so was frequently resulting in their deaths from counter-sniping. Marina didn't intend to make a similar mistake.

Marina's earpiece came to life. "Thanks Marina, I'm clear," said Catherine.

Ignoring Catherine's thanks, Marina kept her eyes open for any sign of movement as she reloaded her rifle. Nothing moved in the windows or on balconies of Vasel's homes, yet there was plenty of movement below in the streets. Besides the distant sounds of gunfire and the occasional tank cannon, it was eerily quiet.

Marina grimaced. Something in this battle was amiss. With all the Gallian soldiers running through the streets, she imagined that more would have under attack by the Imperial snipers. Yet they too seemed to be hunting the Gallian snipers, otherwise only picking off high priority targets whilst being virtually undetectable to the untrained eye.

These snipers, Marina thought, were extremely good…

* * *

The insides of the Edelweiss boiled as Welkin's eyes were fixed to the turret's visor. His hands were wrapped around the hand cranks of the Edelweiss' turret controls, ready to angle his shot at a moment's notice. Sweat dripped down his face.

Another tank was nearby, and it wasn't a friendly one. The Imperial tank had taken a potshot at the Edelweiss and had now retreated from sight. While other tank pilots might have just fired at the enemy through a building, Welkin wasn't about to do that if he could help it. He didn't want to deprive someone of their home when the war was supposed to be over. He was going to shoot when he could see his enemy.

The Edelweiss rolled down the street, its turret slightly rotated to the right. It was the direction Welkin had last seen the enemy tank go in. But despite the enemy tank's size, the machine had somehow vanished. Welkin was, at the very least, a tad nervous. Despite the Edelweiss' power, he didn't want to expose his back to an enemy tank of equal size. And right now, he didn't have an infantry escort; the other Sevens were spread out across Vasel trying to help other squads. In retrospect, it wasn't the smartest thing Welkin could have done, but right now it couldn't be helped. Thankfully, the Imperials were seemingly concentrating their lancers at a series of chokepoints in the city, and couldn't seem to afford to spare any to try and ambush wayward tanks. The Edelweiss had not encountered a single enemy lancer away from his post that day.

"See anything yet?" Welkin asked Kreis, who had his eyes to his own frontal visor.

"Nothing yet, sir," Kreis answered. "Though frankly, you can see a lot more than I can, sir."

"I still need you to keep your eyes forward, Kreis. I might have a wider range of view, but we can't afford to run right into that tank and not know it."

"O-Okay, Welkin…" Kreis returned his eyes to the frontal visor.

Looking back at his own visor, Welkin frowned. A tank as large as the one that had fired at them should've been hard to miss, but it seemed to have simply disappeared. Welkin hoped that maybe it had retreated.

All of a sudden, a small home behind the Edelweiss crumbled as a war machine as large as the blue tank roared forward. Welkin quickly heard the crumbling of the house, realizing the enemy tank had gotten behind them. As Welkin also suspected, the tank's cannon was already angled for a shot.

"Kreis, swing us around! Now!" he shouted, furiously working the turret controls at the same time to try and aim at the enemy tank. Kreis, in his panic, slammed the brakes and wrenched the wheel clockwise.

The enemy tank fired, its cannon aimed at the Edelweiss' vulnerable rear. The Edelweiss was in the middle of an improvised slide as the shell struck, glancing off the rear plating. Had Kreis reacted a second later, the shell would have gone clean into the Edelweiss and taken it out in one blow.

And in pulling such a maneuver, the Edelweiss' cannon now pointed toward the Imperial tank. As it screeched to a halt, the Edelweiss fired. Its armor-piercing shell hit the tank at an odd angle, and failed to penetrate its armor. The Edelweiss' front now faced the large Imperial tank, which fired another shell at it. Again, the shell glanced off the Edelweiss' plating, causing the tank to shake from the impact.

Welkin angled the main gun as he shouted, "Fire!"

The Edelweiss fired again. The AP round struck the Imperial tank dead on, punching right through its thick plating. For a moment, the tank only shuddered, but then a shower of flame and sparks erupted from its insides.

Realizing what was about to occur, Welkin shouted, "Kreis, back up! Back up!"

The Edelweiss rolled in reverse just in time. From within the Imperial tank, the shells inside detonated, practically blowing the entire tank to smithereens. The blast was deafening, blowing over a nearby wrecked building from the shockwave.

Welkin sighed in relief as he looked out at a hollow hull, all that was left of the enemy tank. If he hadn't backed away, the explosion could've severely damaged the Edelweiss. The blue tank was tough, but not invincible. The Imperial heavy tanks were the biggest threat to it at the moment, having the necessary punch to break through the Edelweiss' sloped armor if they hit at the right angle or at close-range.

Before Welkin could congratulate Kreis on his driving, he heard Largo's voice over the radio. "Boss, this is Seven Two. Do you copy?"

"I hear you, Largo," Welkin answered, noting Largo sounded a bit tense. "What's wrong?"

"We ran right into an Imperial party on 4th and Oak. We're pinned down and need back up, pronto."

"I'm on my way." Turning to Kreis, Welkin said, "Kreis, 4th and Oak, step on it!"

The Edelweiss turned to the left and sped off seconds later.

* * *

Seated in the middle of a commercial road, Radi Jaeger's personal tank destroyer, the Lupus, sat in place. Inside the tank, Jaeger smiled from listening to a Gallian transmission that had taken place seconds earlier.

He now had a place to find his prey.

Looking down at his driver, Jaeger said, "5th and Oak. Load AP round."

The men inside the tank sprung into action as the Lupus rolled off down the street.

* * *

Marina slowly crept toward the balcony exit of an apartment building. Her former position had become too dangerous to stay in, as more Imperial teams were scouring the buildings. Even this new position would have to be temporary; she and the others had to keep moving to avoid being caught.

Peering out into the city, Marina checked to see whether or not anyone was outside who could see her. There was no one. Some Gallians and Imperials were exchanging gunfire in the streets, but the Imperial shock troopers and riflemen were too busy fighting for their lives to notice her. In any case, they were unimportant.

Marina edged up to the balcony, crawling flat on her stomach. Slowly, more and more of Vasel came into view. This was a double-edged sword to Marina; she could see more, but she was potentially more exposed. As another figurative sword, due to the shortage of available manpower, she and the other snipers weren't able to have accompanying spotters; Varrot needed every man and woman available in the street battles. Marina was alright with this, however; not having a spotter meant she wouldn't be as easy to find.

Marina's earpiece crackled as Emile's voice came in. "Look at all of them down there," he said. "We should be helping the others from up here."

"Yeah, why aren't we doing anything?" Oscar chimed in. "I could pick off one of two dozen of them right now."

Then, Julius' grave voice responded, "Stow it, both of you. Lieutenant Gunther gave us specific orders, and we will carry them out."

"But there aren't any snipers for us to shoot," said Emile. "Does he just want our ammo to go to waste?"

"Emile, I know how you're feeling," said Catherine. "But Lieutenant Gunther is putting a lot of faith in us to keep the rest of the squad safe from the Imperial snipers. If we don't keep them in check, they're likely to take out everyone down there without a fuss. Keep your eyes out for them, alright boys?"

"Yes, ma'am," said both Bielerts simultaneously.

Then, a moment later, came an unmistakable laugh over the radio.

"Still playing the den mother, O'Hara?" said a familiar voice.

"What the– Cezary!" Catherine gasped.

"You always were the best at keeping those two punks in line," said Cezary. "I'm surprised they've made it this far."

Cezary's intrusion had caught the Sevens off guard. Though some wondered how Cezary had managed to tap into their frequency, Marina wasn't surprised. He had done it before in Bruhl and outside Ironfield Village, and now showed off the trick a third time.

For some odd reason, Marina had expected Cezary to be in Vasel. Perhaps it had been some strange premonition; Marina didn't know, nor did she really care. Her suspicion had been confirmed now.

Then, Cezary said, "Wulfstan, I know you can hear me. Looks like we're back to where it all started. It's funny; ever since you saved that dark-haired bitch, I've always known that someday we'd be at each other's throats."

"…"

"Everything that's happened throughout this war has come to this. You and me, a battle of hunters in a sniper's playground. Sounds poetic, don't you think?" Cezary's voice dripped with sarcasm during the remark, but then, in a more serious tone, he added, "But this time, Wulfstan, you're the game, not the hunter."

"Where are you, Cezary?" Marina demanded, despite knowing he wouldn't tell her.

"Kind of a stupid question to ask me, Wulfstan. But I'll say this: I'm in Vasel right now, and I don't intend to leave until you're dead."

"You won't leave Vasel at all, Cezary. We'll see to that," said Catherine.

Cezary laughed and then said, "I highly doubt that, O'Hara. None of the rest of you would ever stand a chance against me. Wulfstan knows that; you should too, considering all the times I beat the rest of you in drills. Once I kill her, taking the rest of you down will be a cinch."

"Keep talking, Cezary!" Oscar said proudly. "We're not gonna be that easy to bring down!"

"Heh, is that so, Bielert? I doubt your brother will be able to say that in a second."

"What?"

Oscar, to his horror, realized the meaning behind Cezary's words. Time seemed to slow down as he turned toward his brother. Emile must have heard Cezary; the look of fear on his face was proof of that.

Emile remained still as he said, "Osca–"

The sniper round hit Emile dead center, piercing effortlessly through the boy's chest. Emile didn't even manage a whimper as he fell onto his back.

As Oscar looked in horror at his fallen brother, Cezary said calmly, "Easy mark."

"EMIIILLLEEE!"

Oscar rushed toward Emile, desperate to save his brother. Nothing else mattered to him but saving Emile's life.

He didn't even realize that an Imperial sniper had sighted him. The panicked boy was in his crosshairs, an easy target. Emile was simply bait, yet in his blind need to save his brother, Oscar had not realized that he was being lured into a trap.

Evidently, Catherine had also realized this. She shouted, "Oscar, don't!"

The warning was futile. The Imperial sniper fired, his round striking Oscar in the back. Oscar howled as he toppled to the floor.

Out of the corner of Catherine's eye, she saw the shot. She quickly swung her GSR-XX around, aiming down its sight. An Imperial sniper was there, trying to get to his feet and fall back. He was too slow; Catherine fired her round, slicing into the Imperial's neck. He fell over, gagging for a brief moment before going silent.

Catherine quickly ducked back into the shadows to avoid being counter-sniped. Slowly, she inched toward a window to look at Oscar and Emile. What she saw was horrifying; Oscar was on the floor screaming loudly from a bullet to his back, while Emile was unmoving. Both were bleeding badly; one would have immediately assumed they would both die, but Catherine wasn't about to give up on the two boys.

"Someone get a medic to those two!" Catherine shouted. "Please, oh God, someone help them!"

"O'Hara, calm down," said Julius.

Catherine did her best to try and listen to Julius, but the sight of the Bielert twins was quickly making that difficult.

* * *

Marina listened in on the frantic cries of her godmother. Both Emile and Oscar were down, which now put Squad Seven at a significant disadvantage. With two less snipers, the others in the squad would be more vulnerable to sniper ambushes due to a lack of protection.

At that moment, Cezary's voice came in over the radio. "Two down, three to go. If you want, I can save you for last, Wulfstan. I'll be in touch." The transmission cut out.

Marina grimaced at this taunt. Cezary was toying with them. Mulling over the situation, Marina surmised that Cezary was probably coordinating with the Imperial snipers. He was an egotist, but that didn't mean he couldn't work with others. Cezary was probably using those other snipers to hide his position. Then there was the shot that had taken down Emile to consider, which Marina guessed had come from the north. She had instinctively counted the number of seconds between the time it had taken for the shot to hit, and when the shot was registered. Judging by that, Marina guessed that Cezary had made the shot from far off. This puzzled her; if Cezary were indeed using an Imperial rifle, he would've had trouble firing from far off due to their lack of accuracy when compared to Gallian rifles. And another thing bugged Marina: the shot would've had to come from somewhere high up, but Cezary had never liked shooting from high places. This behavior wasn't his usual style. Marina briefly thought the possibility that Cezary wasn't the shooter at all, but quickly push that out of her mind; Cezary was a gloater, and often played head-games using radio transmissions against the Imperials when he was still fighting for Gallia. He always taunted enemy snipers when he took them down as a sort of self-gratification. And despite his egotism, he never took credit for someone else's kills; he felt it unsporting.

It was a troublesome revelation. If Cezary was indeed adapting his tactics to counter Squad Seven, Marina was going to have to be extremely careful in taking him out. One wrong move could spell death…

Marina slinked out of her position, having many factors to consider. One thing was clear, though: she had to take Cezary out, or Squad Seven would never make it through Vasel in one piece.

* * *

Rosie grimaced as she ducked behind a broken pillar, her team slowly advancing through Vasel's streets. The others, consisting of Cherry, Lynn and Herbert, weren't exactly in a much better mood, especially after hearing that both Bielert brothers were now down. That was two less snipers they'd have to support them out of their five.

Cezary's involvement in the Vasel battle was a particularly bad thing for Squad Seven. He knew all their tricks and how to combat all of its remaining members, and had probably passed on some of that information to the Imperials. Rosie recalled how Cezary once had said "Have a plan to kill everyone you meet." It wasn't his own quote, but he had apparently stuck by the motto. And though Cezary only seemed to be interested in Marina, knowing that the enemy would be ready for their tactics was potentially devastating.

Coming to an intersection, Rosie took out a small mirror and extended it around the corner to have a look around. Several blocks down, she saw tracers going back and forth, yet their sources could not be seen. Regardless of who was on which side, Rosie felt her team would go unnoticed.

With a small hand signal, Rosie ordered the team across the intersection. The crossing went without incident, though each member went one at a time. And despite the fact that the task was seemingly simple, the fear of being sniped made it an ordeal in and of itself.

As the team advanced down the sidewalk, Cherry suddenly asked, "Uhh, Rosie? This isn't the way to the MG nest."

"I know," Rosie replied.

"But Rosie," said Lynn, "we had specific orders from command to take that–"

"I know!" Rosie hissed. "Change of plans: we've gotta help Marina and the others find Cezary."

"What? But Rosie–"

"Look, I know it isn't our field and that we should be leaving it to her, but if there were anyone out there that could match Marina, its Cezary. And honestly, I don't know if she can take him like this."

"So what makes you think we stand a chance?" asked Herbert.

"Maybe we don't… but I'm the one who let him live at Ghirlandaio. And now the whole regiment's being held back because of him."

The others then understood Rosie's decision. Lynn was first to ask, "Alright, so what's our first course of action?"

"Well, first we've gotta find Marina and give her some backup."

"Oookay…" said Cherry. "Sooo, how are we gonna find her?"

"Hel if I know…"

"Tch, do you even have a plan, Stark?" asked Herbert.

"Shut up, Herbert. I'm making this up as I go, alright?"

Lynn and Cherry couldn't help but snicker a bit to this. Rosie said nothing, but signaled for the group to keep moving north.

* * *

Largo flinched as a rifle round chipped off a piece of the wall he was hiding behind. He, Juno and Nadine were pinned down by a group of Imperials situated in some sandbags about fifty or so meters away down the street. Nadine was worriedly trying to keep Wendy alive, the shock trooper having taken a bullet to her abdomen. The wound was clearly beyond Nadine's skill; all she could do was try and stem the bleeding until help arrived.

Holding a Theimer MXR, Largo took a brief glimpse at Nadine, and then at Juno. The blonde wasn't her usual composed self, showing genuine signs of repressed fear. Largo would've initially chalked it up to their being in an enclosed space that would probably collapse to a single well-placed tank shot, but this seemed different. Juno had held this pale expression even before the team had been fired on that day.

As more shots impacted against the stone wall, Largo fired back at the Imperials, though his shot spiraled off course and missed his intended target. Ducking back into cover, Largo slid another lancer round into the weapon, having to reload his weapon himself since Nadine was tending to Wendy.

All of a sudden, the thunderous boom of a tank's cannon sounded through the streets. It was very close, and coming from the Imperial side. The sound of the cannon was quickly followed by the oncoming roar of a tank's engine. Not daring to expose himself to take a look, Largo held a small mirror toward the side of the wall, angling it so he could see what was coming.

The sight made Largo break out in a sweat. Joining the Imperials was a unique crimson tank, as large as an Imperial heavy tank, with a main gun larger than any Largo had seen on tanks of such size. Along with what Largo guessed was a tough hull, the tank was protected by an additional array of armor plates that were attached to the outside of the tank. What worried Largo, however, was that this tank was familiar; Squad Seven had seen it at Kloden earlier in the war.

It was the Lupus, the personal tank destroyer belonging to Radi Jaeger. And worse, it was turning its turret toward Largo's position.

Slowly moving the mirror back, Largo said, "I think I'm gonna need a bigger lance."

"Huh? What?" Nadine shouted.

"Get down!" Largo bellowed as he dashed away from the wall.

A second later, the brick wall was blown down in a shrapnel-filled blast. Juno shrieked as she stumbled and fell to the ground, bits of debris showering over her. Largo knelt down to scoop her up, only to have a tracer round skim past his side. Growling, he spun around and fired back at the Imperials. The armor-piercing round struck the Lupus, but exploded on impact, failing to penetrate the tank's outer plating. The smoke cleared quickly, revealing little damage had been done.

As he ducked back into cover, Largo kept an eye on the Lupus, which was now slowly taking aim at him. Any second now, it would blow him and the others away.

Inside the Lupus, Radi Jaeger looked on at the small group of Gallians that were firing back at his men. The leader, a man who matched a description Cezary had given of Squad Seven's chief lancer, fought impressively with his trademark lance. But he was still an enemy, and he had to be taken out, along with his comrades.

Confidently, Jaeger shouted, "Fire!"

Largo watched as the cannon fired. But to his surprise, the shell did not hit its mark, blocked by a mass of armor that moved into the path of the shot.

At the same moment, Jaeger raised an eyebrow, surprised by what had just happened. Then, he smirked; his prey had come.

On the ground, Juno looked up to see the Edelweiss parked in front of the team. Its armor had deflected the shot from the Lupus.

"Welkin!" Juno shouted, though her cry went unanswered.

In their earpieces, the group heard Welkin say, "Is everyone alright?"

"We're still here, boss," said Largo. "Cheslock's in bad shape, though. We gotta get her outta here."

Inside the Edelweiss, Welkin grimaced upon hearing Wendy's condition. Putting it out of his mind, he turned his attention back to the Lupus, which sat ominously before him, not making a move. Strangely, the men surrounding it had stopped firing, and were now behind cover.

Then, over the radio, Welkin heard a familiar voice. "Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, can you hear me? This is Major General Radi Jaeger of the Imperial Panzers. I've been expecting you."

"General…" said Welkin.

"Ah, good. You can hear me. It seems the information Lieutenant Regard gave us was solid about your militia's radio techniques."

Welkin frowned to this. He had already received word that Cezary was in Vasel and had taken down two of his snipers, but now he was truly troubled by Cezary's betrayal. If he had told Jaeger how to crack the Gallian radio frequencies, who knew what else he could have told the general? In all likelihood, Cezary may have even given Jaeger the technical specifications of the Edelweiss.

"Cezary's told you that much, has he?" asked Welkin.

"He has. And a great deal too about your 'Noble White' Edelweiss. It's a magnificent machine, one I've admired for a long time."

"What do you want, Jaeger? Why help Maximilian in this war?"

Seeing that Welkin wasn't in a mood for chitchat, Jaeger said, "I have no qualms playing as a guard dog for His Grace, but what I'm truly hoping for, Lieutenant Gunther, is that you will do me the honor of facing my Lupus with your Edelweiss. That is… under one condition."

Cautiously, Welkin asked, "What condition is that?"

"Tell the rest of your squad back away from this fight and I'll do the same with my men. I wish to face you personally, Lieutenant."

Welkin frowned again. Logically it didn't make sense to do such a thing when Jaeger could easily call in reinforcements, while the rest of Squad Seven would be too far to assist him. But Jaeger didn't seem like the type who would go against his word. And if Welkin didn't agree, he'd be putting his whole squad at risk, as Jaeger's tank would surely overpower the Sevens, especially if Jaeger's men provided support. For a moment, Welkin wasn't sure what to do.

"Alright, General," said Welkin, coming to a decision. "I'll accept your challenge."

"Glad to hear it," Jaeger said with a smile. Then, to his men, he said, "Fall back to our defensive lines. Do whatever you must to keep the enemy from breaching our blockade."

"B-But, General…" said one of the nearby soldiers.

"That is a direct order, soldier. Now get moving."

"Yes sir!" the Imperials shouted. They then took off down the streets toward their lines.

Seeing Jaeger's men pull back, Welkin said, "Largo, take the others back to base camp. Make sure Wendy gets whatever medical attention she needs."

"Got it, boss," said Largo, albeit begrudgingly.

Stunned, Juno shouted, "Welkin, don't! Let us help you!"

"Stay back, Coren!" Largo said as he hoisted Wendy onto his shoulder. "The boss can handle this."

"But–"

"Juno, I'll be alright," Welkin interrupted. "Go and help the others. I'll take care of Jaeger."

Juno hesitated to move, but a short tug from Nadine prompted her to leave the scene. As she left, however, she refused to take her eyes off the Edelweiss until she, Largo and Nadine had turned a corner, putting the tank out of sight.

The two tanks sat before each other, their cannons poised to fire. Neither made a move, however, besides the rumblings caused by their engines. There was an eerie calm in the air that not even the surrounding sounds of battle seemed to break.

Then, inside the Lupus, Jaeger said, "Well then, Lieutenant, shall we begin?"

At the same instant, the Edelweiss and Lupus fired.

* * *

Julius crouched low as he peered out a nearby window. From where he was, numerous tall buildings could be seen, including Vasel's Cathedral of the Valkrur, a building that was in oddly good condition despite the battle throughout the city, although a stray tank shell had blown a noticeable hole in one side. Many others had much more damage; the Imperials and Gallians alike were opting to avoid damaging the cathedral due to its religious significance.

Though he eyed the buildings, Julius did not believe Cezary would be in one of them, or at least in their highest points. Cezary had never enjoyed high places; it was more likely that he would be in a smaller building, and there were many of those throughout Vasel. Finding him would be very difficult, if not impossible. Yet Julius wasn't about to let Squad Seven's traitor escape again.

The grey-haired sniper raced his eyes from window to window, trying to catch a glimpse of a sniper scope or a helmet. Nothing so far had crossed his vision.

Frowning, Julius whispered, "Where are you, Regard?"

A moment of silence passed. Then, the silence broke to Cezary's voice. "Haven't a clue, have you, Klotz?"

"Regard…"

"You know, out of anyone I know, you almost match Wulfstan in how much I can't stand you. You and that damned dark-hair Mintz."

Julius grunted at this. Mintz had been shot by Cezary during the latter's escape from captivity, an escape that had also cost the life of Kevin Abbot. Mintz was now in a military hospital, where he would have to undergo surgery just to stay alive. Julius wasn't much of a people person, but Mintz reminded him a great deal of his dead brother, who had been killed in the first days of the war. At Barious, Mintz had even protected a wounded Julius from the Imperial Valkyria, Selvaria Bles. The two had only survived due to Squad Seven's offensive against Prince Maximilian's dreadnought, the Batomys, which forced Selvaria to aid the prince. Despite being seen as a mismatch, the two were quite friendly toward each other, a rarity for Julius.

"You truly have fallen, Cezary. Did you not forget how he once saved your life?" Julius asked.

"How could I forget?" Cezary answered disdainfully. "But you know what, that was the very reason I shot that kid. Being indebted to a dark-hair? Tch, you can't imagine how much that pissed me off. You and him, numbers two and three on my 'most hated' list. At least I can take him off now."

"How despicable. You're undeserving of mercy."

"Spare me the justice crap, Klotz. Soon, you're gonna end up joining that kid."

Julius grimaced as he continued to search through the buildings. Cezary was probably aware of his presence; he didn't have much time to continue searching in his present spot. The fact that he was still alive meant Cezary hadn't seen him, yet Julius knew that could change in an instant.

Suddenly, Julius caught something in his eye. It was a white cloak, from which a rifle protruded out the window of an apartment building a few blocks away, below his position. The shape of a person was clearly beneath the cloak from how it conformed. Julius raised his rifle; Cezary was known for using such a guise in sniper hunts as camouflage. It had to be him.

Julius fired… and immediately realized his error. He had shot a mannequin; its head came off as the bullet struck, letting Julius clearly see it.

The bells of the cathedral began to ring.

And in that same instant, Julius fell to the floor as a sniper round sliced through his chest, a shot from above his position.

"See you in Hel, Klotz," said Cezary.

Julius gasped for breath as he tried to reach for the wound. His body wouldn't move, clearly disabled by the round. He felt as though he were submerged in ice, unable to feel any warmth.

Over his earpiece, he heard Catherine. "Julius? Julius, come in! Julius!"

"B-Bell…"

Catherine's voice became distant as Julius blacked out.

* * *

Marina listened to Julius' transmission, hoping to hear more. But Julius went silent. He was either dead or unconscious. Marina didn't know which.

The sniper scowled. Now only she and Catherine were left to find Cezary. Without Julius, who himself was a talented sniper, taking down Cezary would now become far more difficult.

Marina cautiously looked out a window to the north, where Julius had been searching. Clearly, Cezary was somewhere in the northern sector of Vasel. But where? There were hundreds of places where Cezary could hide, which would make it extremely hard to find him, even if he didn't relocate.

But then Marina realized something: "Bell…" Julius had been trying to tell her something.

In the distance, Marina heard the bell-tower of the cathedral. Marina looked up at the tower, its large instruments ringing so loudly they could be heard for miles.

That was it. Cezary had to be in the Cathedral of the Valkyrur, Marina thought. Despite his aversion of heights, even Cezary couldn't have asked for a better place to shoot from. And at such a height and position, he could've easily made the shot that had taken down Emile. It also explained why she hadn't heard Cezary's second shot; he timed it to coincide with the tolling of the bells, so the shot would be drowned out. Even if Cezary wasn't there, Marina thought, it was a starting point.

Logically, it didn't entirely make sense for Marina to search there. Yet her instincts said otherwise; Cezary wasn't using his usual style, after all. Something in her just knew Cezary had to be there.

Shrinking back into the shadows, Marina made to exit the building, and to begin her sojourn toward the cathedral.

* * *

Catherine listened as she heard a transmission from a small team from Squad Two. The team had found Julius and was evacuating him back to the Gallian base camp, yet a few voices doubted he would survive. Catherine refused to believe this; Julius was quite tough for a sniper.

Yet at the same time, Catherine began to fret. Cezary had now taken down three of their number, and that left only her and Marina to face him. Marina was probably next, and Catherine knew Cezary would make sure she died. The thought of it terrified her.

Bringing a shaky finger to her earpiece, Catherine said, "Marina, can you hear me?"

"…I hear you…" Marina responded over the radio.

"Marina, we should get out of here. Cezary, he–"

"No. This has to end."

"Marina, please… It's too risky. Cezary's got the upper hand. If–"

"Catherine, return to base. I'll go it alone from here."

"W-What? No, Marina, you can't! He'll kill you!"

"I'll find him first. Wulfstan out."

"Marina, wait! Marina, come in! Marina!"

There was no response. Marina had severed communications.

Catherine shuddered as worry began to overtake her.

"Marina… no… you can't beat him…"

Catherine shut her eyes as tears slid down her face.

"Marcus… Please, help her…"

* * *

Four guards stood outside a decorated guest room onboard the Marmota. The door had been locked, however, for it kept a prisoner within.

Cordelia lay down atop a bed sporting an elegantly made blanket, yet she could not sleep with so much wracking her heart. Despite all the luxurious ornaments that surrounded her, they could not mask the purpose of the mighty war machine she was imprisoned in. And they could not hide the intents of its horrible master, Maximilian Gaius von Reginrave.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Cordelia did not answer. A moment later, the door swung open as a young yellow-haired lieutenant entered the room, carrying a covered platter clearly containing food. Cordelia turned to him, yet without standing up. He was a handsome lad, about her height, with a medal pinned to his chest that Cordelia didn't recognize. It was the symbol of a soaring eagle in the middle of a star, clearly meant to represent some great achievement of his.

Johann Oswald Eisen, who was known as 'Oswald the Iron' by his comrades, stood before Cordelia and said, "Your Highness, I have brought you your meal."

Turning away from the Imperial officer, Cordelia said, "I do not require nourishment. Please, leave me."

"I am sorry, Your Highness, but I cannot do that. His Grace specifically ordered me to see that you are well taken care of."

"Then return to your liege and tell him that I must respectfully decline his offers of hospitality." As Johann stared inquisitively at her, Cordelia looked again to him and added, "I am not appreciative of gifts offered to me by tyrants."

Johann paused for a moment to Cordelia's strong words. Then, setting the tray down on a bedside table, he said, "That, Your Highness, I cannot do either." He then took a seat in a chair near the door.

Cordelia looked at Johann incredulously. The boy, who must have been somewhere her own age, was quite insistent. She turned away from him, yet Johann did not move from his chair.

A minute passed where the two did nothing. Then, Johann said, "May I ask you a question, Your Highness?" When Cordelia said nothing, Johann took the moment to ask, "For what reason did you– I mean, your family, hide your heritage?"

"Why does such a thing matter to you?" Cordelia replied. Then, somewhat more stressfully, she asked, "Isn't it commonplace for the sons of the Empire to ostracize and slaughter my people like cattle?"

Johann was taken aback by this question, but answered, "Truthfully, I have never approved of the Darcsen hunts my people take part in."

Cordelia was surprised by this answer. It wasn't a response she was expecting.

"And in my eyes," Johann continued, "I have always thought the concentration camps to be… barbaric. After all, we are all born humans, aren't we?"

Cordelia did not reply. It was certainly welcome to speak with an Imperial who didn't follow the norm of persecuting Darcsens. Yet he was still an Imperial soldier, one who had surely slain several of Gallia's people in combat. But still… he was kind. His voice displayed that trait openly.

"I apologize for asking such a question, Your Highness. I meant no offense." After a moment, Johann got to his feet and said, "I shall take my leave, then."

Before Johann could take a step, however, Cordelia said, "Wait."

Both Cordelia and Johann turned to face the other, with the princess rising up to a sitting position on the bed.

"Tell me your name," said Cordelia.

Johann hesitated for a moment, but then answered, "Johann. First Lieutenant Johann Oswald Eisen."

"Johann, may I ask why you serve Maximilian?"

"Your Highness?"

"If you were to answer my question, I will answer yours: why my family posed for generations as descendents of the Valkyria."

Johann paused briefly, and then answered, "I serve His Grace because… because of my loyalty to someone who loved him."

"Someone who… loved him?"

"Yes. General Bles. Our Valkyria. She recently gave her life for His Grace at Ghirlandaio. I looked up to her, and to honor her memory, I shall serve the man she loved."

"Even knowing what heinous acts he is about to commit? The terrible power he is about to unleash upon the world?"

"Yes…" answered Johann, his tone unenthusiastic.

Cordelia sensed the reluctance in Johann, which brought a sense of pity to her heart. Johann knew what Maximilian was doing was abominable, but he was loyal to a fault, it seemed. Cordelia could not hate the boy for his sense of duty.

"What of you, Your Highness?" Johann asked. "Why did your family hide their history?"

Cordelia paused for a moment, but then began telling Johann the story of her family's lineage.

* * *

The Edelweiss' treads screeched as they slid across pavement, the tank attempting to make a hard left turn. An armor-piercing shell flew over the turret, smashing into a dilapidated building before exploding. The Edelweiss shot back at the Lupus, but the round bounced off one of the tank destroyer's outer plates, leaving only a slight dent. The Edelweiss fired again, but missed.

Welkin grimaced as the Lupus took aim again. "Hard right!" he shouted to Kreis.

The Edelweiss lurched hard to the right as the Lupus fired. The shell smashed into the ground next to the Edelweiss' treads, causing the tank to shudder for an instant. Recovering, Welkin turned the turret toward the Lupus as the Edelweiss moved. Most tanks that had hand crank controls for their turrets would not have been able to do this, yet Isara's modifications to the Edelweiss gave it the unique ability to rotate its turret while moving by using an electrical rotation system. The unique system Isara had made also allowed the Edelweiss to angle its main gun much more quickly than other tanks, including the Lupus. Yet despite the modifications, the Edelweiss still had to stop moving in order to fire accurately; though Welkin could shoot while moving, he would never hit the Lupus in such a way.

Skidding to a halt, the Edelweiss fired another shell. The round, however, barely grazed one of the Lupus' outer plates. Welkin realized that in his haste to shoot, he hadn't properly calibrated the gun-sights, so the shot went off-course. Frantically, he worked to adjust the sights to get a clear shot. He didn't have long until the Lupus would have an angle for another shot.

Jaeger frowned; the battle wasn't going as he had hoped. Even though he was clearly winning, it was too easy. Cezary's stories about Welkin's tenacity and cunning weren't showing true at the moment, much to Jaeger's disappointment. Welkin was fighting as though he were a fresh, hot-blooded recruit rather than a reputed tactical marvel. At this rate, Jaeger thought, the Edelweiss would run out of ammunition before it ran out of fuel. He wanted more out of the son of the late Belgen Gunther.

Inside the Edelweiss, Welkin watched as, again, another of the Edelweiss' AP rounds merely bounced off the Lupus' tough outer plates. This was quickly beginning to frustrate the Gallian lieutenant, something that rarely happened to him. No other tank other than the Batomys had ever given him so much trouble before, but the Lupus just seemed to have the Edelweiss outclassed. And Jaeger himself was masterfully controlling his machine, using the Lupus' stronger plating and firepower to compensate for the tank destroyer's lack of speed and slower main gun. Each shot the Lupus had made so far had been patient, and well-aimed, although the Edelweiss' sloped armor had prevented any penetrating hits thus far. Jaeger was also being very careful not to give Welkin a chance to hit the Lupus from behind, so Welkin had been forced to try and punch through the tank destroyer's frontal and side armor, but that endeavor was proving fruitless.

Welkin watched as another AP round hit the Lupus, but again the shell failed to penetrate. "Dammit!" he cursed under his breath.

Unbeknownst to Welkin, Jaeger heard the curse over the radio. Sighing, Jaeger reached for his radio headset, tuning it to the Edelweiss' frequency. "You're fighting much more recklessly than I was expecting, Lieutenant," Jaeger said over the radio. "I wonder, what is with your hasty attitude?"

Welkin didn't answer, choosing to focus on the Edelweiss' instruments. The tank's main gun was currently loading another AP round, and the time between shots was a moment of vulnerability for the tank he had to be wary of, despite the tank's automatic loading system allowing the Edelweiss to fire much more quickly than the Lupus. He had to finish the battle quickly so he could proceed to Randgriz.

"I'm left to wonder if Lieutenant Regard was exaggerating about your talents."

The Edelweiss had reloaded. Welkin angled the shot slightly lower and fired. But again, the AP round hit at a bad angle and glanced off the Lupus. Welkin hissed as he waited for the tank to reload.

"Or perhaps there's something that's distracting you. Perhaps it's someone…"

"…!" This remark made Welkin stop in his train of thought. Did Jaeger know about Alicia?

Then, in a more serious tone, Jaeger said, "Do not think to end this battle so easily. If you continue like this, you're bound to make a mistake, and I'll easily end up defeating you. I've had two opportunities so far where I could've taken you out because you slipped up. I want this victory, and my efforts here, to be meaningful, you see."

"Meaningful?" Welkin asked angrily. "How can helping a madman like Maximilian be considered meaningful? How can you justify destroying our homes and killing so many of our people?"

Jaeger paused for a moment, and then said, "I have my reasons, Lieutenant. Prince Maximilian has promised my homeland of Fhirald its independence if I should help him win the war in Gallia. I hold no true loyalty to His Grace or to the Empire; all I want is for Fhirald to be free. Yet to gain that, I'm forced to help him subjugate Gallia. It's quite ironic, isn't it?"

"I'd heard that you were an honorable man, General Jaeger. But you would sacrifice our country just to get yours? Where's the honor in that?"

"I admit it shames me to have to do this to Gallia, but I made a vow to see Fhirald freed no matter the cost. Understand this, however: my reasons for helping His Grace have nothing to do with our little duel here."

"What?"

With a smile, Jaeger said, "Our battle here in Vasel is because I've never faced a foe as formidable as you. Your Edelweiss is simply a magnificent machine, the finest prey I've ever hunted. And as a hunter, I simply cannot allow such a quarry to escape." At that moment, as the Lupus' cannon aimed straight at the Edelweiss, Jaeger said, "So please, Welkin, fight me with everything you have. It's the only way you're going to pass through here and save your homeland!"

Welkin grimaced as he said, "If that's how you want it, Jaeger… Then I won't show you any mercy!"

With that, the Edelweiss fired another shot, but this time the round was a high-explosive instead of a solid shot. The round hit one of the Lupus' extra armor plates and exploded, blowing it off and exposing part of the tank destroyer's own armor. The Lupus stood strong, despite now having been damaged.

Smiling, Jaeger said, "That's more like it! FIRE!"

The Lupus retaliated, sending an armor-piercing shell at the Edelweiss. The blue tank barely veered to the right, causing the round to bounce off its turret. A gash was left in the Edelweiss' side, yet the tank had narrowly avoided a penetrating hit. As it strafed, the Edelweiss aimed its barrel upward and fired a smoke round. The round impacted a short distance away, filling the streets with smoke.

"That won't help you for long," said Jaeger. Then, to his crew, he shouted, "Load HE round and put us in reverse slowly."

The Lupus began to slowly back up, stopping after a few seconds. A shell burst from its cannon, impacting in the middle of the smoke cloud. The projectile exploded, its shockwave blowing away the smoke cloud with ease. Jaeger watched as the flames and smoke cleared. The Edelweiss was nowhere to be seen.

Jaeger grinned. Welkin seemed to be fighting smartly now; it was how Jaeger wanted it.

* * *

Marina knelt next to a broken doorway, facing another across the street, still as a statue. Under normal circumstances, she would've just crossed the street and run in, but with so many Imperials scattered throughout Vasel she had to ensure she wasn't spotted. If she was, she would surely be pursued, and right now she couldn't afford to have that happen. Cezary couldn't be allowed to know she was onto him.

Slowly, Marina crept toward the exit, a mirror shard in her hand. She extended the mirror out of the door, checking to her right. No Imperials were in the street. She checked to the left; nothing as well. That didn't mean, however, that a sniper wasn't around.

Yet to reach Cezary, Marina had to continue on. With a deep breath, Marina sprinted out the door. Each step she took felt as though it took a whole minute, with Marina knowing that, any moment then, she could be hit by a sniper round.

But no such shot came, for no one saw Marina dashing from one side of the street to the next.

Marina skidded to a stop and slammed herself against a nearby wall, checking her surroundings. There was no sign of anyone else in the building. It was quiet, besides the sounds of battle from the outside.

Taking another deep breath, Marina knelt down and moved slowly through the house she had just entered. Her progress had been very slow, yet it had to be this way. To simply run down the street toward the cathedral alone would be suicide. And informing the other Sevens of Cezary's whereabouts would alert him, for he could tap into their frequencies so easily. He would simply vanish into Vasel's shadows, and then Marina would lose her best chance of taking him out.

No, Marina couldn't rely on anyone else to take him out. It had to be her; she best knew his tactics and his skill. And she was, in a sense, responsible for his betrayal. She had to set things right; Cezary had to die. And if she was going to kill him, she had to do the job right… And that meant facing him alone…

For several minutes, Marina crept slowly through home after home, many wrecked by the battle or from the Imperials' first attempt to take the city months before. Glass and wood splinters littered floors everywhere, and several mounds of wreckage had forced Marina to find various detours.

Then, as she entered another home, Marina suddenly heard something… music.

It was a violin, playing a very sad melody that Marina recognized. It was the work of an old musician from the 19th century, whose name Marina couldn't recall. Whoever was playing the tune had clear talent, but that wasn't what made Marina feel sick.

She recognized the tune, for it had been played at Isara's funeral…

Marina continued forward, yet each step she took seemed to make the music come in louder and louder. Whoever or whatever the source was, she was getting closer.

She entered another room. A home radio sat on a table in the middle of the room. It was playing the somber violin.

Marina only needed to stare at the radio for a second before carefully walking over to it and flicking the power switch. Immediately, the radio went silent.

But the music didn't stop. It was echoing into the building from outside.

Scowling, Marina moved slowly to a nearby window and looked outside. No one else was around, yet she could still hear the song. It was echoing all over Vasel.

Then, her earpiece came alive again. "Ahh, brings back memories, doesn't it, guys?" said Cezary. "I remember that day well. Everyone else was so… well, at a loss, I'll say. And all over the death of one little dark-hair. Well, I'll leave you all with something to listen to while you fight for your lives. Regard out."

As Cezary's transmission ended, Marina clenched a fist in her frustration. Cezary was taking things too far with this tactic, forcing memories of Isara's death back into the minds and hearts of the squad. Yet Marina noted the plan's brilliance; the song was one played at many a soldier's funeral in Gallia. Surely just about everyone in the Gallian army had heard it at least once, and many knew its dreadful history. It would surely be a crippling blow to the morale of the Gallian Army, and low morale could be as deadly as any wound in a large battle.

Trying to force the sound out of her head, Marina left the room.

* * *

Claudia moaned as she cursed her bad luck. She, along with Ted, Melville, and Coby, were all pinned down by an Imperial medium tank and a few Imperials escorting it. The engineer had taken a stray bullet to her leg, and was busy treating it with Ragnaid and some bandages. The group's lancer, a woman from Squad Six, lay dead from two rifle rounds to her chest.

For once, Claudia noted, Ted and Meville weren't up to their usual tomfoolery. The numerous close scrapes the group had been in up to that point had prompted them to start fighting seriously. While it was somewhat welcome not having to listen to their chatter, it certainly wasn't a morale booster; their seriousness meant that even they thought the situation was dire. Why the group hadn't retreated, Claudia didn't know.

"Jeez, these guys just don't go down!" said Melville with a scowl.

Ducking back into cover, Ted added, "I hear you, Mel. And that tank's not doing us any favors either."

"Quit your yapping, you two, and keep firing!" shouted Coby.

The elderly shock trooper then rose up to fire a burst at the Imperials from behind some sandbags. One Imperial scout took several hits to his torso and went down. But as Coby ducked back behind the sandbags, the Imperial tank aimed its turret toward him.

Claudia saw this, but it was too late to do anything. As Coby rose up to shoot again, the tank's coaxial machinegun fired upon him, tearing through the old shock trooper with ease. Coby fell after being riddled by five bullets.

"Coby!" Claudia screamed, trying to get to her feet to help him. Her leg gave way as she tried to stand, sending her tumbling to the ground, her head exposed to the enemy.

"Claudia, get back!" Melville shouted as he grabbed the engineer by her belt, pulling her back behind cover before a burst of machinegun fire could perforate her.

Thankful that Melville had saved her life, Claudia looked up to try and see Coby. To her dismay, the old shock trooper lay dead in the street with a look of expectation and acceptance on his still face. Coby had been quite old and had not expected to live through the war; his assumption was now true.

"Mel, we gotta get the Hel outta here!" said Ted. "That tank's gonna have a bead on us any second now!"

"No argument here! Claudia, come on!"

The group began to retreat, but Claudia barely made it two steps before falling to the ground, screaming from the wound to her leg. Ted and Melville heard Claudia's scream and turned back to try and help her. As they did, however, Claudia looked over her shoulder to see the tank aiming its cannon toward them.

She shut her eyes, crushed not only by the realization that she was about to die, but that Ted and Melville would die as well. The music of Isara's funeral dirge continued to echo hauntingly in her ears; she knew she would join Isara soon.

Then, the sound of an explosion and metallic scraping made Claudia open her eyes. Looking up, she saw that the tank's turret was now engulfed in flames and had a twisted hole in its side. A loud frenzied shout made Claudia turn her head. Around the tank, the Imperial soldiers were being gunned down by a wild spray of submachine gun bullets. One even tried to flee in terror, but was gunned down by the torrent of rounds.

Then Claudia saw the source of the attack. It was Jane Turner, followed closely by Hannes Salinger, Audrey Heitinga, and a third shock trooper Claudia didn't recognize. Jane was charging crazily at the tank, intent on boarding it. The tank's rear-mounted machinegun tried to turn toward her, but she was already too close.

Claudia, Ted and Melville watched in stunned awe as Jane scrambled up the side of the tank and aimed down at the gunner's hatch. The hatch belched smoke as it was flung open, the gunner trying to get out of the blaze inside. Instead, the Imperial found himself looking up in absolute terror as Jane ignited her Flame Flail.

"You Imps have no idea who you're–" Jane's sentence was drowned out as she sprayed flames at the gunner and into the tank.

The shock trooper laughed as she heard the Imperials scream, burned alive inside the tank. Then, as her Flame Flail ran out of fuel, Jane pulled a grenade from her belt, ripping out the cord with her teeth and spitting it out immediately after.

"Next," she said casually, tossing the grenade into the tank.

Jane leapt off the tank and slowly strode away, not even watching as the metal behemoth exploded from the inside out.

Claudia was speechless. Jane's ferocity in battle had always amazed her, but in this case she had been completely crazy. And yet she did it all as if on a daily basis. It was intimidating, to say the least.

But then Claudia saw Jane stepping toward a wounded Imperial. The scout had taken two bullets to his gut and was trying to crawl away, his helmet having fallen off. He looked to be in his late-twenties. She realized what Jane was about to do, the realization sickening her in the pit of her stomach.

As Jane reached the Imperial she said, "Going somewhere?" She then stepped down on the Imperial's back, sending him to the ground.

Claudia considered herself lucky that the man's face was now hidden behind a pile of debris. Still, she shut her eyes tightly as Jane pulled out her pistol. The man didn't even get a chance to beg for mercy before a gunshot went off.

Slowly, Claudia opened her eyes. Next to her, Ted and Melville showed alike signs of disgust in Jane's brutality. She saw Jane turn toward her; she had fresh blood on the tip of her boot.

"Hey Cursia!" Claudia heard Jane shout. "Are you gonna lie down all day or are you gonna give us some ammo?"

Claudia stammered as she tried to explain herself, but Ted intervened and said, "She got hit in the leg, Jane."

"Really? Ain't that a bitch...?"

As Jane and her group strode toward her, Claudia remarked that, in a sense, she was also lucky that Jane was on her side.

* * *

Varrot's eyes narrowed. The funeral dirges that had been playing through Vasel brought painful memories even to her of friends lost. Yet Varrot had heard these songs so often that she was quite used to them. Still, she knew others weren't so fortunate.

At that moment, Ellet strolled into the communications tent and said, "Hey, Captain, are you hearing–"

"Yes," Varrot answered. "I never expected Cezary to come up with something so ingenious, if despicable."

Ellet didn't need to look at all the frantic radio operators to tell Varrot was right. Ever since the radios of Vasel had started to play their elegies, reports of faltering advances had greatly intensified. The men were losing the will to fight. If something didn't happen soon, the entire offensive would break.

The reporter scratched her head as she pondered. There had to be some way to stop the broadcast… or perhaps turn it against the Imperials.

Inspiration struck her. Snapping her fingers, Ellet said, "Captain, I've got an idea! But I'm gonna need the entire communications hub for this to work."

"What?" Varrot asked in surprise. "Ms. Ellet, as you are a civilian, I cannot allow you to–"

"Trust me, this'll work," Ellet interrupted, ignoring Varrot as she went to try and tinker with one of the radios. "I've done something like this before; this is just on a much bigger scale."

Before Ellet could get started, however, Varrot had marched over to her and grabbed the reporter by the wrist. She then said, "Ellet, we need this network to maintain communications with the men throughout Vasel. If we lose this, we will lose the battle!"

"I understand that, Varrot, but at the rate things are going, we're going to lose anyways if we don't do something drastic! Trust me, if I can override that broadcast, we can turn this around on the Imperials! But I can't do that without this hub."

Varrot stared at Ellet, who stared back. The captain would be taking an incredibly risky move allowing Ellet complete access to the communications hub. Without it, the Remnant forces would fall into disarray. If she refused, however, the battle could be lost within a few hours as morale crumbled.

At that moment, the music changed. It was no longer a funeral song. It was a chorus of Imperial voices – the Imperial national anthem. It was a strong, proud choir of Imperial men singing praise of their homeland and of their people's strength, sung in their native tongue.

Varrot grimaced. She had no choice now; her timeline had changed from a few hours to one at most. She released Ellet's wrist and said, "How quickly can you do this?"

"Hard to say," Ellet answered. "An hour tops, if I get your whole staff."

"You have thirty minutes, no more."

Nodding, Ellet turned back to the radios and began shouting out instructions to the radio operators.

* * *

Rosie looked at the small Darcsen doll strapped to her neck as she listened to the somber melodies that echoed through Vasel's streets. Each note played brought back painful memories of the times Rosie had mistreated Isara, and how she had only responded with more attempts at getting Rosie to accept her. She now couldn't return those sentiments of kindness, as much as she wanted to.

"Hey, Rosie? Are you alright?" asked Lynn, seeing her look at the doll.

Rosie hesitated to reply, but shook her head and answered, "I-I'll be alright, Lynn." Stowing the doll away in her jacket, Rosie looked ahead and added, "Come on, we've gotta find Marina."

As Rosie peered around, checking for any sign of movement, Cherry asked, "Uh, Rosie? I'm preeeetty sure Marina doesn't want to be found right now if she hunting for Cezary. And you know her…"

"Yeah, I know," said Rosie. "But she's gonna need help if Cezary's after her. Besides, I've got a bone to pick with that son of a bitch for letting Isara die."

"Rosie…" said Lynn.

Sighing, Rosie added, "Should've just shot that bastard at Ghirlandaio. We'd be in Randgriz by now if I had."

Lynn said nothing to this, half-agreeing with Rosie's sentiment. Yet at the same time, her beliefs as a Darcsen told her that killing out of vengeance or some misguided sense of justice only yielded greater suffering. It was for that reason that her people never fought in retaliation, at least in most cases. Her reason for fighting, however, was very different: she fought on behalf of the man she loved…

Then, turning to Herbert, Cherry asked, "You gonna say anything, Herbert?"

"Mmm? Wha…?" Herbert mumbled, apparently having ignored the entire conversation. Cherry groaned at this.

At that moment, the echoes through the streets changed. No longer was it a funeral, but a choir of Imperial men singing of their homeland in a language no one in the group could understand. Yet they knew what it was: the Imperial national anthem. Compared to the funeral songs, however, such a symphony wasn't much better for them.

"Let's keep moving," said Rosie, signaling the group to advance.

Slowly the group moved through the street, with Rosie taking the lead. The redhead shock trooper made sure to check every corner she could see, trying to keep the group from walking into an ambush.

Soon, the group found themselves at another intersection. Closest to them was a fancy restaurant, which had been badly damaged in the battle. The building's front, a low wall supporting a shattered window, showed that the damage had been recent. Rosie stopped before entering the intersection.

It was too quiet. Even the distant sounds of battle or the echo of the Imperial choir didn't shatter the eerie calm of the block. Something was amiss.

"Rosie?" Cherry asked.

"Shh!" Rosie hissed, silencing the others. Her eyes shifted left and right, trying to see any sign of a possible ambush.

Then, out of the right corner of her eye, she saw something. There was a tall mirror standing near the shattered window of a clothing store, bent at an angle.

And in its reflection was the unmistakable shape of an Imperial shock trooper, making hand signals to an unseen ally.

"Cover, now!" Rosie shouted.

The order came just in time. A shutter burst open across the street as a grenade flew out the window.

Quickly recognizing it, Lynn shouted, "Flashbang!"

Rosie, Cherry and Lynn quickly looked away from the projectile as it detonated in midair, causing a bright flash of light. Herbert, however, was too slow to respond, and caught the full blast, blinding him. The others avoided watching the flash, though their ears rung from the loud banging noise of the Imperial grenade. Instinctively they ran for the restaurant, yet Herbert stood stunned in the middle of the street.

Reaching cover first behind the large shattered window of the restaurant, Lynn looked back at the others. As she did, she watched as a burst of submachine gun fire cut Herbert down in a fraction of a second. The engineer only managed a brief gasp of pain before he hit the pavement.

"Herbert!" Lynn screamed.

Just as Lynn moved to try and help Herbert, Rosie slammed into her and forced her back, shouting, "Don't, you idiot! Stay down!"

Realizing she could do nothing for Herbert, Lynn ducked back behind the low wall. Raising her Mags MXX, she fired a blind burst at the Imperial attackers, but failed to hit anything. Rosie did the same a moment later, but also missed. The shots, however, did force the Imperials into cover.

For a minute or so, the two sides exchanged fire, neither scoring hits. Peering out from cover, Rosie could make out that there were at least six Imperials versus her group of three. The Imperials, however, had the advantage, as Rosie's group was pinned down in the restaurant and couldn't maneuver. Another problem was that neither Rosie nor Lynn had a Flame Flail on their weapons; there hadn't been enough left to go around for everyone in the militia, so Rosie and Lynn had basically gotten the short end of the stick.

Then, as Rosie emptied another clip, she ejected the magazine and reached for another. To her shock, she realized she didn't have any more ammo for her Mags MXXII.

"Dammit, I'm out!" Rosie shouted.

"I'm almost out, too!" Lynn replied as she loaded her last magazine into her Mags.

"Hey, didn't Herbert have the ammo?" Cherry asked.

This hit Rosie like a sledge hammer. Herbert had been carrying all of their spare ammunition, but now he was unreachable.

"Rrgh, DAMMIT!" Rosie cursed, realizing her team's predicament. She drew her pistol and began firing back at the Imperials.

Across the street, one of the Imperials noticed Rosie's use of her sidearm. Turning to a pair of his comrades, he shouted, "They're running low! Flank left, we'll cover you!"

Two of the Imperials broke away from the group and moved toward the right flank of Rosie's group.

Noticing this, Rosie shouted, "Cherry, on the right!"

"Got it!" Cherry answered, rising up and firing at the two shock troopers. A shot hit one of the shock troopers in his neck, sending him to the ground and prompting his ally to fall back to his allies.

But as Cherry lined up the second one in her sights, an Imperial rifle round struck her shoulder. She screamed as she was blown onto her back and grabbed her shoulder, shrieking at the top of her lungs.

"Cherry!" cried Rosie as she scrambled down next to the scout. "Cherry, where are you hit?"

"AAGH, dammit! My- my shoulder! AAH, goddammit! AAAAHH!"

Rosie pried Cherry's hand away to assess the wound. Blood coated Cherry's arm as it ebbed from the wound. Rosie immediately knew she couldn't treat it; she was quite bad at medical tasks. Cherry continued to scream in agony.

As more shots impacted around her, Rosie grabbed Cherry's rifle and fired back at the Imperials. One took a hit to the head from Lynn's Mags, but shortly afterwards her weapon went silent, out of ammo.

"That's it, Rosie," said Lynn. "I'm out."

Lynn threw her Mags to the floor and drew her sidearm as Rosie continued to fire Cherry's rifle. Two shots later, however, the rifle clicked, its clip emptied. Rosie looked down at Cherry's rig; she had no spare ammo left.

At this realization, Rosie knew she, Lynn and Cherry were doomed. The Imperials wouldn't be deterred by sidearms, and would just rush the three and finish them off at close range. Though Rosie and Lynn had knives, they would never be able to take out all of the remaining Imperials that way. In fact, all it would take to finish them off was a single well-placed grenade.

Evidently, the Imperials realized this too. Receiving a signal from their leader, two of the Imperials, a scout and a shock trooper, moved out of cover and advanced on the restaurant.

As she watched, Rosie heard Lynn stop firing. Turning, she saw an unmistakable image of despair on Lynn's face. Lynn's pistol was empty, but the look on her face showed she knew she was going to die.

"Karl… I'm sorry…" Lynn cried, trying to hide her tears.

As Lynn sobbed and Cherry screamed, Rosie looked down at the Darcsen doll around her neck. For a second, which seemed like an hour, all Rosie could do was stare at the keepsake Isara had given her.

Clasping the doll and tearing it from the string around her neck, Rosie said, "Lynn, get Cherry out of here."

"What?"

"Grab Cherry and run out the back. I'll hold them off as long as I can." As Rosie said this, she fixed her knife onto the end of Cherry's rifle.

"What? Rosie, no!"

"It's that or we all die! Get out of here, Lynn! That's an order!"

Lynn watched hopelessly as Rosie readied her bayonet, prepared to die in a heroic, but suicidal last stand. The Darcsen doll remained in Rosie's hand.

Still crying, Lynn nodded and moved over to grab Cherry.

But just as Rosie was about to charge, she watched in shock as the two advancing Imperials were struck down by a burst of submachine gun bullets from the left.

"What the?"

Surprised, Lynn looked up to see the remaining two Imperials trying to fall back, firing in a panic at their attackers. Rifle rounds struck one of the Imperials, while the other was cut down by another burst of submachine gun fire.

Rosie couldn't believe it. By some miracle, someone had come to their rescue. Whoever it was, Rosie couldn't be more grateful.

"Ha! That's what you get when you mess with a star!" shouted a familiar, high-pitched voice.

Recognizing the voice, Rosie leapt up from cover and ran to the front of the restaurant. Upon seeing her savior, Rosie was dumbstruck.

"N-Nelson?"

Standing in the middle of the street, bearing a Mags MXXII in her hands, was a petite seventeen-year-old girl with silver pigtails and chestnut brown eyes. Behind the girl were a blonde fifteen-year-old boy with a pale face, and a 23-year-old man with glasses, both carrying Gallian rifles. Unlike the girl, the two engineers were both behind cover, but the girl seemed to be more concerned with making her presence known.

Winking, Edy Nelson said, "A star never really dies, Rosie. She just waits for her big comeback!"

Then, almost disparagingly, Homer said, "Uh, Miss Edy? You shouldn't be standing in the middle of the street like – GUAGH!"

Edy angrily struck Homer in the head as she screeched, "HOMER! You're ruining my entrance!"

"Aahah~ Miss Edy…"

As Homer happily endured the swelling from Edy's blow, Karl stepped forward and asked, "Lynn? Is that–"

"Karl!" Lynn exclaimed, having come up next to Rosie. She rushed out to him.

Both sides watched as the two lovers ran to each other and embraced. Edy then looked away with a small blush as Karl and Lynn kissed.

Rosie said nothing, but smiled; the two had been separated for around three months now, and she wasn't about to ruin the moment.

* * *

Vyse and Aika sat beside each other inside a hotel lobby, hiding from an Imperial heavy machinegun situated across the street. Nearby in other parts of the hotel were Freesia, Dallas and Elysse, who were also in cover. Rounds from other Imperials near the MG nest peppered their positions.

Vyse scowled as he continued listening to the Imperial choir. The music was giving the Imperials confidence, to say the least. Their inspired valor had pushed Vyse's group back into the hotel, a position he was not used to. The adventurer preferred to be on offense, but that wasn't possible at the moment.

Next to him, Aika said, "This is bad, Vyse. We're getting creamed here."

"That horrible music is fraying my ears!" Dallas whined. "It's so boorish compared to my old school's choir!"

"Yeaaah… Could sure use some of Rosie's singing right about now," said Elysse.

"We can't depend on that, guys!" Vyse shouted. "Just keep at it!"

Though the others nodded, they knew even Vyse was feeling the effects of the songs that were playing. Vyse had come to love Gallia, and hearing the pride of the invaders was taking its toll.

"Dammit," Freesia hissed. "If only we could get close to that gun…"

After another moment, Aika turned back to Vyse and said, "Vyse, I think we should fall back. We can't beat these guys like this."

"Aika, don't say things like that!" Vyse snapped. "We can still win this!"

Before Aika could argue her point, the music in the background suddenly seemed to distort. Static began replacing the voices, as if the signal had been lost. Both Vyse's team and the Imperials were confused by what was happening.

Then the radios started up again. Only this time, it wasn't Imperial voices in concert. The voices were Gallian.

Vyse's spirits soared as he heard the vast choir of men and women singing Gallia's national anthem ring throughout Vasel. At first, the song started gently, but soon rose to a triumphant concert of pride and spirit. Their voices were accompanied by the melodious sound of a perfectly-played piano.

And at the same time, the Imperials, who didn't know what was happening, suddenly became scared.

Vyse seized the moment. "Come on, guys! Let's show these guys who they're messing with!"

To the others' astonishment, Vyse vaulted himself over the front desk he had been hiding behind and charged at the Imperials, one of his cutlasses drawn, his Mags MXXII in his other hand. Barely a second later, Aika howled as she followed her childhood friend in the charge. And another second later, the other three followed in pursuit.

The Imperials recoiled in terror at the sight of such a charge. One frantically tried to aim his rifle at Vyse, but was shot down by Aika. Another swung his submachine gun at Vyse, trying to bludgeon him with it, but he slid under the blow and past the Imperial. The soldier, momentarily surprised by this, failed to react quickly enough to Freesia, who slashed through him with one of her scimitars. The MG gunner fired at Vyse, yet the adventurer was able to stay just ahead of the spray of bullets, firing his own weapon wildly at the Imperials behind cover. A second later, the machinegun was obliterated by a round from Elysse's Lancaar-SH MXII.

From behind a sandbag, one of the Imperial shock troopers screamed as he aimed frenetically at Vyse, who came down on him with his cutlass.

* * *

"OH YEAH! WOO!" Ellet shouted triumphantly. "See? I told you it'd work, Captain!"

As Ellet continued cheering alongside the other radio operators, Varrot could only shut her eyes in a small smile, showing she was impressed. Radio transmissions coming in all around were now of squads pushing the Imperials back toward their main defensive line at the River Graz. The sound of Gallia's anthem could be heard gloriously throughout the city.

The tide had turned. Now they were on the offensive.

* * *

As another shell struck the Lupus, Jaeger remained calm as he kept his eyes attached to the turret visor, watching the Edelweiss' movements. Several armor plates had been blown off the Lupus, but the Edelweiss was taking noticeable damage as well. Welkin, however, was now providing a much greater challenge for Jaeger.

Yet now Jaeger had a problem. Reports were coming in of defensive lines being breached all over Vasel. Apparently, Cezary's broadcast tactic had been turned against them, and now morale favored the Gallians. His men were elites, but against such national pride they too were faltering.

The stark reality of the situation was unmistakable: the Imperial garrison was collapsing rapidly. Though he was caught-up in his duel with Welkin, Jaeger had to turn the tables somehow.

Frowning, Jaeger said, "I guess there's no choice."

Turning to his radio set, Jaeger adjusted the frequency. "This is General Jaeger to all mortar units. I want a full barrage on Vasel immediately. Cover the city with rounds."

On the radio, an officer replied, "Sir, we can't guarantee your safety if we–"

"I know the risks, Captain."

"Understood, sir. Valkyrur protect you."

* * *

The sound of Gallia's anthem was, admittedly, a great relief for Marina. She didn't know what was going on, but clearly the tables had been turned on Cezary. Whatever effect his strategy had had on Gallia's soldiers, it was now having the opposite effect. Outside, Marina could see dozens of Gallian soldiers beginning to overrun the Imperial positions.

To her, the change of pace lifted a great weight from her heart. The memories of Isara's death were now giving way to thoughts of what she had fought so hard to protect: peace throughout Gallia, for both Darcsens and non-Darcsens. It was so similar to Marina's own goal: to keep safe those who could not defend themselves.

In the shadows, Marina briefly smiled.

Then, in her earpiece, she heard a familiar, frustrated growl. Flicking a finger to her earpiece, Marina said, "Not going as planned, Cezary?"

Scowling, Cezary answered, "Laugh it up, Wulfstan. It won't last."

"…"

"Heh, still the same high-and-mighty routine, is it? Please, we both know that's just your way of hiding the real reason why you hunt."

"What are you talking about…?"

"Now you're listening. I can tell, you know: you aren't fighting for Gallia out of some sense of duty. Not entirely, at least. No, you're doing this because it's fun."

"…"

"All those times you kept going out solo on patrols and hunts, it wasn't about keeping Gallia's people safe, was it? You kept doing that because the Imperials were sporting to you. You, a hunter who spent all her life poaching beasts in the wild, finally got a taste of a real hunt when you killed your first Imp. And then you got another taste, and another, and soon you're out so often you're just popping Imps left and right. All because you think it's sporting… just like the wolves your family's named after. Coincidence? I think not."

"…"

"Come on, admit it. At least you got some challenge out of it."

"…You couldn't be more wrong, Cezary…"

"Eh…?"

"Every enemy I've killed so far… I've had nothing but pity for them. If they weren't a danger to Gallia or the squad, I'd have let them go. But because they are, I had to shoot them down. And each time, I have pitied them."

"Tch, same old answer."

"Know this, Cezary… I will have no pity when I kill you. I won't lose any sleep over it."

Cezary laughed for a moment, and then said, "Is that so, Wulfstan? Then come and find me. I'll be waiting, and we'll see who sleeps soundly tonight… and who sleeps eternally."

The transmission cut out.

Marina continued on, but remarked one thing: Cezary's taunts were slipping. He had never been as snide while under pressure, and right now his plan to cripple the militia's morale had backfired. Additionally, with more of the Imperials retreating back to the River Graz, she wouldn't have to worry as much about being intercepted. She could proceed a little more quickly to the cathedral.

Coming to a large hole in the wall, Marina looked out at the battle. Sure enough, the Gallians were pushing the Imperials back. Tanks roared and infantry cried out as the Gallian anthem resounded through the streets. If Marina had been a patriot, the sight would've brought a tear to her eye.

Marina returned to the shadows, and progressed down the hall. She only had a few more blocks to go before reaching the cathedral.

But then, she heard something: multiple distant booms, rapidly going off without a specific beat.

A moment later, Marina heard a loud, unmistakable howling sound, approaching quickly and in her direction. A second passed, and the floor shook as high-explosive death rained from the sky, smashing into buildings and streets indiscriminately, sending both Imperial and Gallian soldiers into a panic.

Artillery: the foot soldier's worst nightmare.

Marina ran for the exit; she couldn't afford to be inside an unstable building while the whole town was being shelled. Her best bet was to get somewhere low or close to the ground.

"…!"

Though she heard the loud howling, Marina could do nothing to stop the next impact. A shell smashed into the apartment building's ground floor, sending a powerful shockwave through the foundations. The whole building shook.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Marina felt the floor beneath her shift. It was too late to react. Marina screamed as the floorboards gave way under her feet, sending her crashing down to the floor below.

Everything faded into darkness.

* * *

Stepping out of the restaurant, Rosie said, "I thought you were still in the hospital, Nelson."

"Well, I WAS," said Edy. "But once I heard that the rest of you were heading back to Vasel, I knew I had to help. And what luck: for once, I end up saving YOUR skin, Rosie! How does it feel, huh?"

Groaning, Rosie said, "Not now, Nelson!" Then, turning to Karl and Lynn, who were still locked in an embrace, Rosie said, "Hey Karl, you got any Ragnaid?"

"Uh, yeah, I've got some, Rosie," Karl said as he let go of Lynn, pulling a Ragnaid capsule out of his pack.

"Good." Gesturing to the restaurant she had just exited, Rosie said, "Cherry took one in the shoulder. Patch her up and get her back to the aid station on the east side of town. It's just off Main Street."

"What about Herbert?" Karl asked, gesturing to the engineer.

Solemnly, Rosie answered, "Nah, he's gone. Never stood a chance."

"Oh. Al-Alright then…"

"I'll help, Karl," said Lynn as she followed him to the restaurant.

As Karl and Lynn went to help Cherry, Edy shouted, "Hey, where's my "Thank you, Edy", Rosie? I just saved your butt, even though you totally don't deserve it!"

Rosie groaned in exasperation. Edy had always treated her as a rival, but the rivalry was one-sided. It was simply that Edy couldn't stand competition, and couldn't stand that Rosie was a talented singer while she was tone-deaf, or that Rosie was the top shock trooper in Squad Seven. The whole thing was ridiculous, but Edy seemed intent on maintaining the rivalry to the end.

Sighing, Rosie said, "Thanks, Nelson. I owe you one."

"Huh? What was that? Say it louder…" said Edy, obviously savoring the moment.

"I said– INCOMING!" Rosie ran for cover inside the restaurant.

The howl of an artillery shell screeched through the air as the projectile slammed into the upper floor of a building next to Edy. The outer wall, blown to bits, came crumbling down above Edy's head, threatening to crush her.

Edy screamed in terror as Homer leapt at her, tackling the girl and knocking her onto her back on the pavement. The debris landed barely a meter from the two Sevens, kicking up dust that made them cough on the fumes. For the next moment, the two huddled together as artillery fire continued to rain on Vasel. Inside the restaurant, Karl yelped in his usual terror, huddling next to Lynn as the shells howled overhead, hoping one wouldn't strike them or the restaurant. Admittedly, Lynn too was terrified.

The barrage soon ended. Slowly, Rosie raised her head to look outside. "Nelson! Peron!" she shouted, hoping to hear a response.

The dust began to clear. To Rosie's relief, both Edy and Homer were still alive, the young engineer on top of the silver-haired shock trooper, covered in small bits of debris. By some miracle, they looked unharmed.

"H-Homer…" Edy said with a blush as she looked at the blonde engineer.

Coughing, Homer said, "Are you alright, Miss Edy?"

Edy's cheeks turned pink as she nodded. But then, a look of shock came to her face as she looked down. To both her surprise and Homer's, the engineer had accidentally grasped Edy's right breast in his hand. In addition, his left knee was provocatively placed between her legs, moving her skirt and almost revealing her unmentionables. This too was clearly accidental.

Mortified, Edy screamed, "KYAH! Get off me, you pervert!"

Homer yelped as Edy swung a knee to his groin, causing him to topple onto his side in pain. Edy scrambled to get up, her arms wrapped around her chest and her face turning red. Her lips quivered with a mix of embarrassment and outrage.

From where she was, Rosie couldn't help but burst out laughing. Now angry, Edy shouted, "This isn't funny, Rosie!"

"It's funny to me, Nelson!" Rosie replied through her laughter.

"Hey, what's going on out there, Rosie?" Cherry asked as Karl tended to her shoulder. "I can't see what's happening!"

Trying to stifle her laughs, Rosie stammered, "Homer just made it to second base!" Rosie couldn't contain herself any longer, and burst out laughing again.

"Nooooo way! You serious?" Cherry said in surprise, adding her laughter to Rosie's. Cherry regretted this, however, after a jolt of pain shot through her shoulder, prompting her to yelp rapidly. Next to her, Karl quickly began applying Ragnaid to her wound, somewhat numbing the pain in Cherry's shoulder.

It took a minute for Rosie to contain her laughter, during which Edy's face was red with indignation. Eventually calming down, Edy turned her head away from Rosie and asked haughtily, "So what were you doing here anyways, Rosie?"

"We're trying to find Marina," Rosie answered. "She's gone after Cezary and she's gonna need some backup."

"Huh? Wait, Cezary? You mean–"

"Yeah," Rosie interrupted. "He's working with the Imps, and he's somewhere in Vasel. He's already taken down Oscar, Emile and Julius."

Shocked, Edy said, "What? No way! How could he… what about Catherine?"

"We haven't heard from her in a bit. Dunno what's going on."

"Well then, I guess Miss Edy and I should help you out, Rosie," said Homer.

"Help HER?" Edy snapped. "Why should we help HER, Homer?"

Bracing himself for another beating, Homer said, "Miss Edy, I was just saying that if we worked together, we'd have a better chance of finding Marina."

Though clearly she did not enjoy the idea, Edy said, "Fine! We'll help her out." Turning back to Rosie, she added, "But this is for Marina's sake, not yours!"

"Fine by me," said Rosie.

The redhead then went to rummage through Herbert's kit, obtaining the ammunition he was carrying. He would no longer need it, after all.

* * *

Back at the aid station, Largo and Nadine gently set Wendy down on a stretcher. Gina quickly went to work assessing the shock trooper's wound, though the look on her face wasn't encouraging. Largo wasn't surprised; it had taken them around twenty-or-so minutes to get back to the aid station, during which time Wendy had surely lost a lot of blood. Whether or not she would survive was now up to the medical corps.

Wiping his brow, Largo turned back toward the battle, scowling as he watched artillery shells rain down from the sky. None of the shells were hitting near their position, primarily aimed at the Gallian advance, yet knowing the Imperials had artillery wasn't encouraging. It was something infantry couldn't fight, and yet they had to try and endure it to win. Needless to say, it was going to make things far more difficult. Thankfully, morale was now on Gallia's side thanks to the radio broadcasts.

Sitting next to a lamppost, Juno watched the barrage come down in mute terror. Welkin was still out in Vasel, and even the Edelweiss wouldn't survive a direct hit from an artillery shell. One hit, and he'd die. The thought only intensified Juno's worry.

But after a moment, the shelling seemed to stop. Dust and smoke started clearing from the streets.

For a brief instant, Juno saw a familiar blue shape cross through an intersection, a shell exploding near it as it moved.

She couldn't stop herself even if she tried. Juno sprung to her feet and ran toward the Edelweiss, not even bothering to take her rifle.

A few seconds later, Largo turned to where Juno had been sitting and said, "Don't worry, Coren. I'm the sure boss– huh?" Largo spun around, but didn't see Juno initially.

Nadine saw her first. She shouted, "Juno, wait! Come back!"

Largo turned to see Juno running off, as fast as her legs could carry her. "Coren, get back here! Coren!"

But Juno would not turn back, despite hearing the protests. She had to help Welkin, no matter what happened.

"Dammit!" Largo hissed. "Nadine, come on!"

Largo and Nadine quickly scooped up their weapons and ran after Juno, hoping to catch her before she made a fatal mistake.

* * *

A dull howling wind was all Marina could hear as her eyes slowly opened. Everything was covered by a thick haze, and she couldn't keep her eyes straight. Her head was ringing.

The haze began to part as her hearing slowly cleared. Her eyesight came into focus. She had landed on the bottom floor of the apartment building. Debris from the wreckage was everywhere.

Then she felt it: pain. Her right arm screamed from it, as well as her right leg above the knee. Yet she could not utter a sound, too dazed to even murmur. Her breath became short and stifled, almost gasps of agony.

Marina tried to stand; she had to find someplace to hide and to assess herself.

"AAGH!"

Marina's left ankle gave way as she tried to stand on it. She fell to her knees, trying to thrust her arms out to stop her fall. Only her left arm responded, so she toppled onto her side. The landing caused her to let out another scream of pain. Her right arm, in particular, felt like every nerve was on fire. Clenching her teeth, Marina glanced over at her arm, a bit apprehensive of what she might see.

It wasn't quite as bad as she thought. Her arm looked intact, though it bent at an odd angle from the shoulder joint. She had probably dislocated it; Marina was thankful she hadn't actually broken the arm. A simple dislocation could be fixed, though it wouldn't be a pleasant process. And she couldn't do it alone…

She glanced down at her legs. Both were still there, though blood was trickling from her right calf. Marina checked the rest of her body, seeing that much of her uniform had been torn in various places. She couldn't make out her rifle in the darkness. From what she could see, she hadn't any other serious injuries. Her ankle looked like it had been sprained, but it wasn't that bad. Still, considering the other injuries she had sustained, it was enough to keep her off her feet at the moment.

Marina slowly moved a hand to her belt, trying to obtain her only Ragnite capsule so she could patch up her leg. After a moment, Marina's hand clasped the capsule. To her dismay, she felt a sharp edge of glass through her glove; the capsule had been shattered in the fall, its contents now useless.

"…Dammit…"

Marina dropped her left arm to her side. All she could do for the moment was wait until she was strong enough to walk again or someone found her. But with the building so unstable, she hoped for the latter. The ominous creaking that would've otherwise not been a concern to her normally was now a chilling warning that, any second now, she could be buried alive.

Her predicament truly came to Marina's frustration. The Cathedral of the Valkyrur was only a few blocks away, but now she could barely move without being blinded by pain. If Cezary knew of her condition, he would've been in hysterics.

Suddenly, Marina heard a voice, yet from all the commotion outside, she couldn't discern who it was. Instinctively she tried moving her right arm to her pistol, but a jolt of pain reminded her of her arm's condition. Straining, she reached for the gun with her left hand. Grasping the gun, Marina slowly drew the weapon, and prayed that the approaching voice was friendly.

Marina watched as a familiar silhouette appeared in the opening to the wreckage.

"Marina? Oh my god, Marina! Are you alright?"

"…Do… I… look alright?" Marina snarled at Catherine, who slid down beside her. Partially, Marina was bewildered by the fact that Catherine had found her.

Now able to properly see Marina in the darkness, Catherine saw just how badly injured she was. "Oh no, your arm!"

"Just dislocated. Can't get up…"

"Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of here."

Catherine slung Marina's good arm around her neck. Marina yelped in pain as Catherine lifted her to her feet, yet she forced herself to move toward the exit. Small bits of debris were pelting down from above, and neither sniper wanted to stay for much longer and risk being crushed.

After about ten seconds, Catherine brought Marina outside and set her down behind a wrecked car. Looking to her side, Marina saw her GSR-XXX leaning against the side of the car, and realized this was how Catherine had found her. How it had ended up outside, however, Marina wasn't sure.

As Catherine drew her sole Ragnaid capsule, Marina raised her left hand and said, "Wait…. the arm first. Just… pop it back in…"

Catherine was hesitant to do anything. After a moment, she said, "One second."

The sniper then quickly ran over to a nearby window and tore out a pair of small white curtains. Bringing the fabric back, she brought one of the sheets to Marina's mouth, which the black-haired sniper promptly clenched between her teeth.

Grasping Marina's arm, Catherine said, "This is gonna hurt."

If Marina weren't holding the cloth in her mouth, she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs. Though it had only taken Catherine one swift push to pop Marina's arm back into its socket, the pain that came afterwards seemed to last forever. Yet despite all her agony, Marina shed no tears.

Breathing heavily as Catherine wrapped the second sheet around her shoulder, Marina spat out the cloth gagging her. As Catherine finished, she activated the Ragnaid capsule as she said, "I told you it would hurt."

Marina did not reply as the pain somewhat subsided to the Ragnaid, yet her breathing remained rapid and deep. Slowly her pace dropped, as her wounds became more bearable.

"That better?" Catherine asked.

"Y-Yeah, I guess…" Marina answered, slowly propping herself up against the car.

"That's only going to be a temporary fix. I've gotta get you back to the aid station so they can patch you up."

"N-No, not yet… Cezary's close."

"Marina, forget about him! You could be worse off than we know. You need proper medical attention."

"No… not until… I get him… urgh…"

Marina shook as she tried to stand up, still reeling from the pain. But as she did, Catherine forced her back down and said, "No, Marina! As your godmother, I can't just let you chase after him like this. You're in no condition to face him right now."

"He's close, Catherine… He's in the cathedral, and we're so close…"

"Dammit, Marina, can't you please listen to me for once?"

Grunting, Marina replied, "Dad told me… not to…"

Catherine was stunned by this statement, recalling a moment from Marina's childhood. Marcus had once called her "akin to a mother bear." It was a rather apt analogy when Catherine thought about it.

Groaning, Catherine said, "Marcus… the things you put into this girl's head…"

As Catherine sat down, nursing her eyes, Marina slowly got to her feet and said, "I know where Cezary's hiding, Catherine. If I don't finish him now, he'll come back. I have to finish this."

For a moment, Catherine said nothing. But as Marina tried to slink away, she suddenly said, "Not without me."

"Huh?"

"If I can't stop you, I might as well go with you, Marina. But if you conk out before we get him, I'll drag you back to the aid station whether you like it or not!"

"…Deal…"

With a slight stagger, Marina moved along the sidewalk and back into the torn buildings nearby, with Catherine in tow.

* * *

Welkin grimaced as a shell smashed into the Edelweiss' hull, this one landing a solid hit. An armor plate covering the tank's treads was sheared off, but thankfully the treads themselves didn't take damage. The Edelweiss, however, was now covered in scars, and its plating had begun to buckle under the impacts. Rivets were breaking off, and Welkin worried that the Edelweiss wouldn't hold together for much longer.

Opposite him, the Lupus showed signs of battle damage as well. Nearly all of the tank destroyer's outer plates had been blown off, revealing the tank's hull, which also had taken damage. The Lupus' coaxial machinegun had been destroyed, but it still had its main cannon. No other critical points had been damaged.

The Edelweiss fired another shell, which struck the Lupus' turret and bounced off, but left a noticeable dent in the tank's side. The Lupus returned fire, a shot that blew another of the Edelweiss' frontal plates clean off. Welkin, jolted by the impact, hit his head on the tank's visor.

Hearing Welkin's grunt of pain, Kreis said, "Sir, are you alright?"

Welkin shook his head, his forehead now bleeding, and said, "I-I'll be alright. Keep us moving; we can't take much more of that tank's cannon!"

The Edelweiss broke into a left strafe as Welkin angled the turret at the Lupus. The blue tank fired as it moved, but missed, prompting a similar retaliation from the Lupus, a shot which bounced off the Edelweiss' armor.

Welkin rubbed his forehead as he considered his options. The Edelweiss still had plenty of ammunition left, but its hull was not going to take much more from the Lupus' powerful cannon. Welkin had hoped to use the Edelweiss' mobility to his advantage and to get behind the Lupus, but Jaeger was skilled enough that all attempts at such had failed. He had then thought to try and get in close for a greater chance of penetrating the tank destroyer's heavy armor, but the idea of facing the Lupus' cannon at such close range wasn't encouraging.

At the same moment, Jaeger confidently kept his eyes on the Edelweiss. Welkin was putting up a very good fight, but it was simply going to boil down to out-lasting him. He had the advantage in armor, firepower and range, and as long as the Edelweiss didn't get behind the Lupus, he would win by sheer brute force.

Suddenly, another tremor shook the Lupus. Yet Jaeger hadn't seen a shot from the Edelweiss, and the impact had hit the Lupus' frontal plating. Someone or something else had fired the shot.

"Back us up!" Jaeger shouted to his crew.

At the same moment, Welkin saw the trail left by the lancer round that had hit the Lupus. The round had dealt no noticeable damage, but that didn't concern Welkin. What concerned him was who had fired it, and that the Lupus was now turning its cannon toward the aggressor.

Welkin angled the Edelweiss' gun toward the source of the lancer fire.

"What? Juno!"

Reeling from the lance's recoil, Juno dizzily tried to get to her feet from behind a pile of rubble. She had never been trained to use an antitank lance, so she hadn't been prepared for the kickback. She was struggling even to lift the weapon.

Looking up, Juno watched in mute terror as the Lupus aimed at her.

"I'd thought the agreement was that no one from your squad would interfere, Lieutenant," Jaeger said to Welkin over the radio. "I'm afraid I'll need to rectify this."

"NOOO!"

Welkin could only watch in horror as a shell slammed into the rubble Juno hid behind. The girl was sent flying back by the explosion with a scream. As she landed, Juno lay limp on her side, several burns coating her uniform, her glasses cracked.

"Juno…"

A second later, Welkin saw Juno stir. She tried to get to her feet, yet the explosion had clearly stunned her. She would never survive another shot.

"Kreis, fire then full reverse! NOW!" Welkin shouted.

The Edelweiss' cannon fired at the Lupus, the shell exploding as it impacted. Such a blow certainly got Jaeger's attention, for the Lupus turned its cannon back toward the Edelweiss, which was backing up at full speed. The Lupus fired, but missed its mark as the Edelweiss rolled in front of Juno, covering her against the Lupus' fire.

On the ground, Juno looked up, her eyes blurry without her glasses. Scooping them up, she set the broken pair over her eyes, and immediately her eyes widened at seeing her savior. The Edelweiss, which now had turned to face the Lupus, fired another shell, but again dealt little damage to the tank destroyer.

"Welkin!" she shrieked.

"Juno, get out of here!" Welkin shouted over the radio.

"Welkin, no! Let me help you!"

"Juno, you have to pull back! You can't face him– AAGH!"

Juno gasped in terror as a shell slammed directly into the Edelweiss' turret, exploding as it hit. The shot had surely breached the Edelweiss' armor.

"WELKIN!"

Juno desperately tried to stand up, but pain shot through her right leg as she moved and sent her back to the ground. Looking down, Juno saw her leg was badly bleeding, though still in one piece, probably from some shrapnel. She couldn't move the limb; the fact brought a deep despair to Juno's heart. Welkin could be dying and she couldn't do anything to save him.

"Welkin… no…"

From within the Lupus, Jaeger watched his wounded prey. The Edelweiss was crippled by his last shot; one more solid hit would finish the job. He angled the Lupus' cannon slightly down, aiming for the Edelweiss' hull.

"You've been a worthy foe, Lieutenant Gunther," said Jaeger. "I'm sorry it has to end like this."

A round slammed into the side of the Lupus, exploding on impact, but dealing minimal damage. Before Jaeger could even turn to face the attacker, he heard an unfamiliar voice say, "Sorry to break up the party…"

Parked a fair distance to the left of the Lupus was a white tank similar in build to the standard Gallian light tanks, but had clearly been given several modifications. On its side was a pattern that resembled a Darcsen sash.

Inside the Shamrock, Zaka added, "But how's about picking on someone who can actually fight back, Jaeger?"

The Shamrock fired again at the Lupus, but the round bounced off the tank destroyer. As the light tank fired round after round at the Lupus, the tank destroyed rotated its turret toward the Shamrock, soon getting a clear shot. The Shamrock moved just moments before the Lupus fired, dodging what would have been a devastating hit.

Watching as the Shamrock continued to move and shoot intermittently, Jaeger grinned. "There will be time for me to finish you off later, Lieutenant Gunther. It'd be foolish of me, however, to ignore your friend there."

Slowly, the Lupus gave chase to the Shamrock, virtually ignoring every hit the light tank struck it with. Juno watched as the tank destroyer rolled off, grateful to Zaka for drawing Jaeger away.

A second later, Nadine sprinted toward the Edelweiss, shouting "Juno!" as she approached. Sliding over to her, Nadine quickly went to check Juno's leg.

"No, Nadine," Juno groaned. "Welkin, please help him…"

It took barely a second of looking at Juno's expression for Nadine to nod. The engineer quickly ran over to the Edelweiss and scrambled to climb up the side of the battered tank. As Juno watched Nadine, Largo arrived on the scene, kneeling down to check her injuries.

Reaching the turret, Nadine knocked hard on the turret hatch as she shouted, "Sir? Welkin, are you alright?"

A moment passed. Then, the turret hatch of the Edelweiss was nudged slightly. Seeing this, Nadine quickly pulled the hatch open, releasing a small amount of smoke from the tank's innards. Without missing a moment, Nadine reached in and helped to lift Welkin out of the turret.

Juno was relieved to see Welkin was alive. Part of his jacket had been slightly burnt, and his left arm was bleeding below the shoulder. But he was alive, nonetheless, and by some miracle, did not seem severely injured. He was still able to move on his own strength.

Passing a now-active Ragnaid capsule to Juno so she could tend to her own injuries, Largo said to Welkin, "You okay, boss?"

Coughing briefly as Nadine set him down on the Edelweiss' hull, Welkin said, "I've been better." Turning to Nadine, he added, "Get Kreis out, he's unconscious."

"Got it." Nadine carefully moved to slide down into the Edelweiss, taking care to avoid jagged areas where the tank had been damaged.

As Nadine descended into the tank, Welkin turned to Largo and said, "I thought I told you–"

"We got Cheslock back to the aid station, but then she decided to go chasing after you," Largo interrupted, gesturing to Juno. "We tried to stop her, but she's a pretty fast runner, you know."

Welkin looked at Juno, who looked back at him, slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Welkin," said Juno, "but I… I just couldn't sit back and let you fight him alone. I'm so sorry. I was completely useless."

"Juno… I'm just glad you're alright," Welkin replied, bringing a small smile from Juno.

A moment later, Nadine lankily moved herself out of the Edelweiss, dragging a cataleptic Kreis out by his collar.

"Largo, give me a hand here," said Nadine, struggling to pull Kreis out of the tank. "Urgh, he's a lot heavier than he looks!"

Largo quickly moved to help Nadine with Kreis. But as Largo grabbed hold of the tank's driver, he looked at the damage the Edelweiss had taken. The buckling armor plates and numerous scars were hardly the worst of it. The worst had clearly come from Jaeger's last shot.

"Oh, Hel…" Largo groaned.

With a slight grunt of pain, Welkin asked, "How bad is it, Largo?"

"Real bad, boss. Real bad."

Welkin slowly turned to look at the battle damage, nervous of what he'd see.

"Oh no…"

It was worse than Welkin could have ever imagined. The last shell that had hit the Edelweiss had done more than penetrate its armor. It was the main gun, now horribly twisted and broken, that had taken the worst of the hit. The cannon had been all but destroyed.

Welkin stared blankly at the wreck that had once been his sister's pride and joy. The Edelweiss could no longer fight.

* * *

On the outside, the Vasel Cathedral of the Valkyrur was an impressive sight. The structure was at least forty meters tall at its center, with a tall bell-tower extending almost seventy meters. Its exterior was a glistening white, well-maintained by the religious community of Vasel before the Imperials had retaken the city. Despite all the fighting around it, the cathedral barely looked damaged, besides a noticeable hole in its south side caused by a recent artillery shell that had flown off course.

Marina peered across the cathedral as Catherine kneeled behind her. Cezary was somewhere inside. But the cathedral had many windows on its roof, each open and with a billowing sheet used for construction purposes, and she had to peer carefully through each one. She hadn't seen any sign of Cezary in the bell-tower, so she assumed he had relocated to another part of the cathedral. Even though she knew it was entirely possible that Cezary might have just left the area, some instinct in her said otherwise. He was still there; he had to be.

After a moment, Catherine whispered to Marina, "See anything?"

"…Nothing…"

"Marina, I don't think Cezary's here. We should go back."

"…I know he's in there somewhere. I can feel it…"

"This isn't the time to trust your gut on something like this, Marina. Even if he might've been here, I'll bet he's long gone by now. There's no way he'd stay in a place like that for so long."

Marina couldn't help but see the wisdom in Catherine's words. It went against logical sense to think Cezary would still be in the cathedral after so long; any other sniper would have relocated by now. But Marina couldn't pull herself away; she couldn't just give up so easily and let Cezary escape, not after all he had done.

"…!"

Marina saw it. One of the sheets in the windows was oddly shaped, as though draped over some solid mass. To the casual eye, no one would've noticed it. But Marina had, and she also saw the familiar shape of a Gallian rifle protruding from the window, wrapped in cloth to try and camouflage it. It wasn't quite aimed in her direction, but it aimed in the right area.

Cautiously Marina eyed the shape. Cezary knew how to use decoys, and this could be one of them. If she shot it and it was a fake, she would give away her position to Cezary, and he would have an enormous advantage. Marina had to be absolutely certain that what she saw now wasn't a fake. She had fallen for such a trick once before; she wasn't about to do so for a second time.

She got her answer as she eyed the shape through her scope. The rifle moved, slowly turning in her direction. It was real.

"…I see him…"

Catherine didn't need to ask Marina if she was sure; she knew she was. Looking in Marina's direction, Catherine caught sight of the silhouette.

"You're right," Catherine whispered, seeing the rifle moving slowly toward them.

As Catherine raised her GSR-XX, ready to provide a back-up in case Marina missed, Marina centered the sights of her GSR-XXX on the target's head. Cezary often used a shroud to camouflage himself, but now he had lost that protection.

"…Good night, Cezary…"

The GSR cracked.

Marina watched as the figure beneath the shroud fell backwards, leaving behind a brief spray of blood. The small adjacent windows were stained red.

For a moment, all was quiet.

"You… you got him," Catherine said in disbelief. Then, ecstatically, she said, "Marina, you got him! You got him!"

Marina sighed with relief, then she and Catherine quickly withdrew into the shadows to avoid a possible counterattack. Overcome with joy, Catherine couldn't help but give Marina a pat on the back as they moved through the building.

But Marina was not rejoicing. Cezary was dead, yet she still felt something was amiss…

* * *

From inside a small home built above a clothing store, a 25-year-old blonde Imperial sniper heard the sound of a rifle fired from south of the cathedral. More than that, he had seen the shot, but at his angle he couldn't have done anything to counter it, for the shooter had quickly withdrawn. He had, however, caught a glimpse of the shooter: a black-haired woman with pale white skin. It had to be the Ghost of Gallia.

The Imperial knew this individual well: Marina Wulfstan, Gallia's ace sniper. Many of those he had called comrade before now lay dead, their lives ended by her hand. Against her, he knew he stood little chance in a sniper duel. Yet if challenged, he would face her; his personal opinion of the matter meant little. He was, after all, a loyal soldier, and one who would fight to the death for his country.

Next to the Imperial, a small radio came alive as a woman's voice said, "Command, this is Catherine. We got him! Marina got him!"

Another woman's voice, this one filled with more authority, replied, "Catherine, repeat your last transmission."

"Cezary! Marina got him, Elle! He's dead!"

"Are you sure? Where was he?"

"The Cathedral of the Valkyrur. Bastard was in that place the whole time. Who would've guessed it?"

"Excellent work, both of you. Our offensive is pushing the Imperials back to the bridge as we speak. You two have done enough for now. Return to base. Command out."

"Err, roger that. Marina just wants to confirm it. Catherine out."

This last message caught the Imperial's attention. The Ghost of Gallia wanted to confirm her kill. Any moment now, she would have to venture out into the open; he'd have a clean shot at her.

At that moment, however, he heard another voice over the radio. "Bourdais, you heard all that?"

"Roger, Wolf Hunter One," the Imperial replied.

"I'll take it from here. You can pull back. Wolf Hunter One out."

The Imperial was a little surprised to hear this. Wolf Hunter One was about to take the Ghost of Gallia on by himself, and the Gallian ace had back-up. Yet it was how Wolf Hunter One had wanted it; he'd been going on for a while now about how he would take Gallia's ace sniper down personally. Frankly, the Imperial didn't really care. Wolf Hunter One, after all, was hardly a loyal soldier.

Yet an order was an order. "Understood, Wolf Hunter One. Bourdais out."

With that, Helmut Bourdais slinked into the shadows and retreated from sight.

* * *

The inside of the Vasel Cathedral of the Valkyrur was, for the most part, colored a light blue. Though rubble littered the floor in certain places, the place was quite pristine, despite quite a few scaffold setups placed by construction workers. Its many pillars stood strong to keep the building from collapsing, despite some having suffered some damage. Painted glass windows on the high walls of the cathedral blocked out most of the outside light, and depicted the Valkyrur's many deeds of the past for which they were worshipped. Small windows attached to the roof allowed small rays of light into the cathedral, though quite a few were now blocked by sheets due to construction. Rows upon rows of pews lined the center of the cathedral, and upon the dais stood a massive statue of a Valkyria Matriarch, bearing a lance and shield.

From a hole that had been blasted in the side of the cathedral by a recent artillery shell, Marina cautiously peeked around for any sign of a trap Cezary might have laid. Even though she had taken him out, that didn't mean he hadn't left anything to keep out anyone who might have been looking for him in the cathedral.

But there was nothing. Cezary had apparently depended on keeping his position hidden rather than setting traps to keep out those who were too nosy. There was no sign of any Imperials in the church either.

Feeling it was safe, Marina entered the cathedral with Catherine in tow. As she reached the aisles below the dais, Marina looked up at the scaffolding above; it was probably how Cezary had been able to position himself at those windows, which normally were meant only to allow light into the cathedral. There was no sign of a body above; it had to have fallen to the ground.

Marina looked down to see where Cezary's body had fallen.

"…!"

Marina stopped in her tracks upon seeing the man, who had a bullet hole through his forehead. It was not Cezary.

This man was rounder, older, and his black hair had been shaved in a tonsure, much in the manner of a Valkyrur Priest. In all likelihood, this man had indeed been a priest until his untimely death. A gunshot wound through his chest, however, indicated that he had been dead before Marina had shot him. The revelation that Cezary had used a fresh corpse as a decoy was sickening.

Marina then saw the cadaver's rifle. Strings were attached to it, which had allowed the rifle to rotate with the aid of a pulley system that had been set up along the scaffolding. It created the illusion that a living target was moving the rifle side to side.

Behind her, Catherine saw the body, and quickly realized the two had been duped. She looked around the church frantically, trying to find some sign of a trap. There was no sign within the pews or in nearby corners.

But then, as the two looked around, Marina saw something. It was only for a split second, but the glint of light was enough to catch her attention. Looking back, she saw what she had been afraid of, emerging from behind a set of large white sheets near the main entrance to the cathedral.

It was a rifle, and it was pointed right at her.

"MARINA!"

Marina hadn't even a moment to react to Catherine's sudden move, which knocked her away. Her rifle flew out of her hands as a shot was fired.

The shot missed Marina… and struck Catherine dead center.

Marina, as she fell, watched in horror as Catherine gasped in pain. The black-haired sniper crashed to the floor behind a large fragment of a broken pillar. Her rifle clattered to the ground, exposed near the dais.

At the same time, Catherine was sent across the floor as a blood-soaked blotch stained the dais, the same point where the bullet impacted after passing through her. She cringed as she lay on her side, bleeding horribly from the chest wound. She couldn't even move her arms to try and clutch the wound.

As Marina looked on at Catherine, she almost threw herself to her feet to try and aid her godmother. But the sound of a cocked rifle, followed by a loud, snide laugh prompted her to hide again behind the pillar fragment. The voice was unmistakable.

From his place behind a curtain, Cezary emerged from the shadows, his rifle reloaded. The Imperial weapon was a prototype, its design based off captured Gallian rifles. Unlike other Imperial sniper rifles, this weapon had power and accuracy together in one package.

Keeping his rifle aimed at the pillar fragment, Cezary said with a chuckle, "Checkmate, Wulfstan."

Marina grimaced. Her weapon was at least two meters away, but was out in the open. The moment she tried to retrieve it, she would be shot down. And each second that passed by was a second less that Catherine had to live. That was, if Catherine's wound weren't already fatal. All Marina had was her Colt and Selvaria's sword, but neither of those would help her. And in her current position, she could barely move an inch without giving Cezary a shot at her. She had to curl her entire body into a ball to avoid exposing any part of her, or Cezary would be able to hit her.

There was no dodging the fact: Cezary had her trapped.

* * *

Johann strode through the halls of the Marmota on his way to the bridge. Maximilian had summoned him to the bridge for direct orders, and Johann had no intention of keeping the prince waiting for long.

Yet as he approached the steel door of the bridge, Johann couldn't help but think of the conversation he had had with Cordelia. Her reasons for participating in her family's deception were very noble. Despite having to deceive the whole of Gallia of her heritage, Cordelia did so in the best interest of her people's worship of the Valkyrur. To reveal her true heritage to the people would surely have dire consequences, due to Europa's collective stance against the Darcsen people.

Johann's pondering went so deep that he nearly ended up walking right into the door to the bridge. Snapping back to reality a mere moment before that happened, Johann fumbled for the door handle, opening it and stepping into the bridge.

Aesthetically, the bridge was, for lack of a better term, quite ugly. Various consoles with levers, gauges and dials lined the room, with a technician at each station busily preparing each console for use. But in the middle of the room was an elaborately-designed commander's seat, upon which Maximilian sat and stared down at Johann.

Saluting, Johann said, "First Lieutenant Johann Oswald Eisen reporting, Your Grace."

"I expected you sooner, Lieutenant Eisen," Maximilian replied, a clear hint of displeasure in his tone.

"My apologies, Your Grace. I had to find an alternate route through Deck B."

Truthfully, Johann had been delayed thanks to a chat with his friend and comrade Otto, who had admonished Johann for "getting too cozy with the prisoner", referring to Cordelia. Otto was a loyal-to-a-fault Imperial soldier, and his stance on seeing Imperial dominion over Europa would never change. Their conversation had made Johann quite late to responding to Maximilian's order.

To Johann's fortune, Maximilian did not seem overly displeased over his truancy. Dismissively, the prince said, "Go to the princess' chambers and bring her to me."

"My lord?"

"Helmsman, have all the preparations been made?" Maximilian asked another officer, ignoring Johann's question.

"Yes, Your Grace. We only await your order," the officer answered.

"Excellent." Standing up and waving an arm majestically, Maximilian said, "Release the Valkof from its bonds and take us from the city!"

"Yes, my lord!" was the unanimous response of the crewmen, who immediately went to work on their respective consoles.

Seconds later, as Maximilian seated himself again, Johann felt the floor beneath him begin to shake. The Marmota was moving, pulling itself away from Castle Randgriz.

Outside, the spire of Castle Randgriz slowly began to crumble. The populace of Randgriz broke into a panic as from within the spire's stone and mortar, an enormous mass of pearl white emerged, fashioned in the shape of a Valkyrur lance. The object, completely flawless in design, was almost as large as the Marmota itself, and was tilting in such a way that it seemed as if it would crash down on the dreadnought and crush it.

Yet such a catastrophe did not come to pass. Atop the Marmota, a series of strong metal arms had risen up to catch the lance as it descended. Almost gently, the lance settled itself on top of the Marmota, positioned with its tip at the front of the dreadnought.

Johann could only stare in awe. The Valkof, the most powerful weapon of the Valkyria, was more impressive than he could ever have imagined.

Suddenly, Maximilian broke Johann's gaze as he said, "Do you make a habit of dallying, Lieutenant Eisen? I gave you an order to retrieve Gallia's princess. Carry it out!"

"Uh, yes Your Grace!" Johann stuttered, briefly saluting the prince before quickly leaving the bridge.

Seated in his command chair, Maximilian couldn't help but marvel at the Valkof as the Marmota slowly moved out of Randgriz. The ramblings of his men as they properly aligned the Valkof with the Marmota's systems did not reach his ears.

Maximilian smiled. With such a weapon, nothing could stop him now.

* * *

Welkin sighed as Nadine applied a Ragnaid capsule to his shoulder, eying the damage the Lupus had done to the Edelweiss. Though the plating could be repaired in a pinch at the time, fixing the main gun would take weeks, if not months. The Edelweiss had never been this battered before, but now it rested in the street, no longer able to fight. And once the Lupus came back, there'd be nothing left of the tank but a scrap pile once Jaeger was finished with it.

At this point, Welkin had no idea what he could possibly do to turn the tables on Jaeger. The Shamrock would stand no chance against the Lupus, not being nearly as advanced as the Edelweiss and not having the required punch to even make a dent in the tank destroyer. One solid hit would blow apart the light tank easily, and Zaka didn't have nearly as much experience as Jaeger in tank combat. And even if he brought in all of Squad Seven's lancers, he would probably still lose, especially if Jaeger called in backup.

Welkin looked over at the others, who had taken shelter in a nearby ruin. Kreis was still unconscious, with Nadine trying to wake him up with Ragnaid, while Largo was seeing to Juno's leg. Juno's injury was quite bad, and would put her out of action for the rest of the war. Whether or not she would be able to walk again, Welkin hoped that eventually she would be able to.

As Largo placed some finishing touches on wrapping Juno's leg in bandages, he turned to Welkin and said, "Coren should be alright for now, boss, but that's all I can do." Seeing that Welkin wasn't quite paying attention to this news, Largo asked, "Got any ideas, boss?"

Sighing, Welkin said, "None. I'm fresh out. With the Edelweiss this badly damaged, I don't know what we can do against Jaeger."

"Yeah, well in my opinion, it doesn't make much sense for us to stay here. Zaka won't be able to hold Jaeger off for long, and then he'll be back to finish the job."

"Maybe we could set up some kind of ambush for him," Nadine suggested. "We could lay some mines and–"

"That'd take too long," Welkin answered, "and I doubt Jaeger would fall for something like that so easily. He'll simply shoot the Edelweiss at a distance until he destroys it."

"Then maybe we could pull it back and try to fix the Edelweiss."

"You know how long it'd take us to fix that gun?" asked Largo. "The war will be over way before she can fight again."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"No idea, Nadine. This whole thing ticks me off. The Edelweiss has gotta still have plenty of ammo left, but there's no way for us to use it."

All of a sudden, Welkin was struck by inspiration. Yet it was a grim inspiration; the idea could potentially work, but it would come at a terrible cost.

For a moment, Welkin mulled over his options. He didn't see any other plausible way for him to defeat the Lupus. The plan, despite how dangerous and how costly it would be, was the only option he could think of remaining.

"Guys, I've got an idea…" said Welkin. As Largo, Nadine and Juno turned to face him, Welkin added, "but you're not going to like this…"

* * *

Marina remained huddled behind the pillar fragment, her gaze forced to look at the prone form of Catherine. The veteran sniper now lay in a slowly spreading pool of her blood, yet she struggled to stay conscious. If she didn't receive help soon, she would bleed to death. Marina worried it could already be too late.

Yet in that moment, Marina was powerless. Cezary had her pinned in place, her rifle was out of reach, and she had no effective way of retaliating against her assailant. Even though she had her sidearm, she lay on her right side in such a way that she couldn't draw the pistol. Selvaria's rapier was in reach, but it would be useless in such a fight. Cezary had every advantage, and it was only a matter of time before he got her. Her mind raced; she had to find some way to turn the tables on him.

Nothing came; she couldn't defeat him in such a position.

Behind the curtain, Cezary kept his eye behind the scope of his rifle, training it on the pillar fragment behind which Marina was hidden. She had concealed herself perfectly behind the stone, yet in doing so she had pinned herself in place. If she had hidden behind the pews, Cezary could've shot her through them with ease. His rifle, however, lacked the necessary punch to penetrate solid marble.

Yet despite all this, Cezary knew he had no need to move. The duel had now turned into a waiting game, and it was only a matter of time before Marina cracked under the pressure. Either she would go insane from the prospect of her imminent death, or she would be forced to try and aid Catherine before she bled to death. As such, Cezary knew he would be safe where he was; no one was coming to help Marina, after all.

So Cezary decided he would do what he could to speed up the process.

"You honestly thought you had me, huh Wulfstan?" Cezary taunted, loud enough so Marina could hear his echoing voice. "Tch, so predictable. I knew you'd find your way here eventually after I took down Klotz. The old pastor over there was kind enough to act as a human decoy for me. Well, after a little persuasion. I've always found violence is more convincing than the words of clergy."

"…"

"Nothing to say, Wulfstan? I'm disappointed. I'd have thought you'd be acting all tough and defiant, as usual. Or maybe now that you're trapped like a rat, all that fire's gone out? Not so tough when you've got your back to the wall, are you?"

"…I need to know, Cezary…"

"Eh? You need to know what?"

"…Why side with the Empire? Why betray Gallia to them?"

Laughing, Cezary asked, "You actually don't know? It was about you, Wulfstan. It was to get back at you for what you did to me. And now I've more than won our little duel: I've bested you, conquered you… hurt you."

"…!"

"Oh yes, Wulfstan. You think I can't sense your fear? Oh, I can. You can't take your eyes off O'Hara. She's probably only got a few minutes left. And there's absolutely nothing you can do to save her. It's just tears you up inside, doesn't it?"

"…You sick bastard… If this were all about me, why drag everyone else into this? You could've left everyone else out and just come for me, so why help the Empire?"

"Ah, now you're being more specific, Wulfstan." Suddenly, Cezary's tone turned far more grim and serious as he said, "It was for power."

"…Power…?"

"All that crap Gunther keeps going on about working together, companionship, and hope? All bullshit, if you ask me. You and I both know, on the fields on battle, those ideals aren't worth spit. Its skill and power, like the kind the two of us have, that matters the most. You've seen it, haven't you, when squads are wiped out in ambushes or when the best of friends are brought down by a single shot from yours truly. And then the power of the Valkyrur…" Taking a deep, satisfied breath, Cezary added, "How that'll change the face of this world!"

It all clicked in for Marina. "…This has nothing to do with the Empire…"

"Now you're catching on, Wulfstan. I only joined them so I could get the power I needed to take you down. And once they've won this war, I'll be hailed as a hero by the Imps, and I'll simply milk them for all they're worth to make my life that much cozier. I can toss them a couple of secrets here and there, kill a Fed General or two, and they won't give a rat's ass on what I do in the meantime. Of course, if things go bad for them against the Feds, I'll just switch sides again and repeat the process, easy as that."

"…You …"

"Gallia's never meant a thing to me, Wulfstan. I'm surprised I need to tell you that. But you and me? That's personal. You humiliated me that day, ruined everything I had going while I was still in the militia. And for what? The sake of one stinking dark-hair? I'd like to believe that, but you've always had it out for me. Saving that bitch Nadine, taking out those guys who would've wasted Wavy and Karl, and then breaking my scope at Fouzen. If you'd just minded your own damn business, I doubt we'd be having this little chat right now, and maybe O'Hara wouldn't have had to go. But she got in my way, just like you always did. And because of that, Wulfstan, you're going to die here for it, and Gallia's gonna pay for what you did to me."

"…"

Cezary's words hit Marina hard. Was Catherine's current state her fault and not Cezary's? Many would have argued against the idea, but Marina couldn't help but see Cezary's point of view. Could so much of the present day's tragedies have been avoided if she hadn't sold him out? Was Gallia going to lose the war because of her mistakes?

No, she couldn't let that happen. Cezary was simply trying to trick her. She had to somehow defeat him. But how? The knowledge that she could not retaliate against his taunts was infuriating.

"…I should have killed you the day you tried to let Nadine die, Cezary!"

Cezary laughed; he was clearly getting some satisfaction out of angering Marina. The sound of his laughter only continued to fuel Marina's anger.

Then, Cezary added smugly, "Let's face it, Wulfstan. You've always been a weakling. You've never taken hold of all that power you could command because you're a coward. Hel, you won't even make use of that sword Lady Valkyria gave you. Do you have any idea just what that thing's capable of?"

"…What?" Marina had no idea what Cezary was talking about. Why had he changed the subject to talk about Selvaria's sword? Was there something special about it, outside of its craft as a blade of the Valkyrur? Marina tried to shove the thought out of her head, thinking it was another distraction of Cezary's.

"No?" Cezary asked. "Too bad. Maybe if you hadn't listened to O'Hara, you might've seen just what that blade can do. But I know, and I know Lady Valkyria knew, and that she was afraid to use its power. Hel, I'd be scared too if you had any idea how to use it."

Marina couldn't help herself; she looked down at the blade. The flower-shaped crystal at its end shimmered with a blue light, a glow that hadn't faded since Marina got the blade. When Marina thought about it, she had never seen a blade quite like it. But what was so important about this sword? Was it so powerful that even Selvaria feared it? And how did Cezary know anything of the sword?

"But you don't know a thing, Wulfstan," Cezary continued. "You don't know about the sword, you didn't think of the damage I could cause when you sold me out, and now you can't think of any way out of this. Well, I can suggest to you a way: just stand up. I promise I'll make it quick."

"…Cezary…!"

* * *

Rosie heard the name clearly: Cezary. The word, and many others before it, had come over the radio, an exchange between the traitorous sniper and Marina. Cezary, however, didn't seem to realize such a transmission was occurring.

The earlier report had been false: Cezary was still alive, and now had Marina pinned down. Rosie knew there wasn't much time.

Yet she now knew where to look.

"Come on, you two!" Rosie said to Edy and Homer, taking off down the street as she did.

Startled, Edy shouted, "Hey, wait! ROSIE!" Groaning loudly, Edy charged off after the redhead bar singer with Homer in tow.

* * *

The Shamrock fired rapidly at the Lupus as the tank destroyer angled its turret for a shot. All of the Shamrock's efforts so far were for nothing, as the light tank simply did not have the firepower necessary to break through the Lupus' armor, even at close range. And just from a few glancing blows, the Shamrock had taken severe damage from the Lupus. A single direct hit would blow the tank to pieces.

As Zaka called for another round, he looked through his visor at the Lupus. It was aimed right at them. "Hard forward, now!" Zaka shouted to his driver, a Darcsen man named Soren.

Inside the Lupus, Jaeger watched as the Shamrock began to move forward, hoping to strafe right. Skillfully, Jaeger altered the angle of the Lupus' cannon, placing it in front of the Shamrock.

"FIRE!"

The Lupus' armor-piercing round slammed into the Shamrock's left-side treads, wrecking them as the shell broke through the light tank's plating. Zaka braced himself as the tank shook violently from the hit, knocking him around in his seat.

Smoke filled the tank as Zaka shouted, "Soren, you alright? Soren!"

A moment later, Zaka saw his driver. Soren had taken a large amount of shrapnel, and he was bleeding badly from his abdomen. Blood was starting to pool in his mouth. He was surely a dead man, yet he was still conscious.

"G-Get out of here, Zaka!" Soren yelled painfully. "Leave me!"

"Soren–"

"GO!" Soren gagged as blood ebbed from his throat with his last word, and he fell forward onto the steering wheel.

Sorry to see his driver's demise, Zaka held back his remorse as he wrenched open the turret hatch and scrambled out of the doomed tank. Looking over at the Lupus, Zaka saw its cannon angling for the killing blow. Zaka leapt from the tank and sprinted away.

The Lupus fired another shell, which struck the Shamrock squarely in the center, piercing its armor effortlessly. A second later, the Shamrock burst into a shower of fire and metal as its ammunition detonated. All that was left of the light tank was a pile of burning scrap.

As Jaeger watched the wreckage, one of his crewmen said, "Nice work, sir. What about the tank's commander?"

"Leave him," said Jaeger. "He's no threat to us anymore. Bring us around and take us back to the Edelweiss. In its condition, I don't think it'll have gone too far."

Slowly, the Lupus turned itself around and rolled off, leaving Zaka to watch from a nearby building.

Breathing heavily, Zaka muttered, "Sorry boss, I've done all I can."

* * *

After a few minutes, the Lupus reentered the long street in which it had left the wounded Edelweiss. Jaeger rotated the turret 90 degrees counterclockwise, expecting to see his prey sitting in the street.

The Edelweiss was certainly there, but not where he had left it. The tank, badly damaged, sat in the middle of the road, directly facing the Lupus. If it had still had a functional cannon, it would have had a strong firing position, yet it was still as mangled as Jaeger had left it.

"Hmm, it's as though he offered it to me on a platter," Jaeger said in amusement.

"Should we get closer, sir?" asked Jaeger's driver.

"No, hold our position here. Gunther may have set a trap for us. We'll shell the Edelweiss at range. Load an AP round."

Opposite the Lupus, the Edelweiss sat in the middle of the road. In the driver's seat, Welkin watched anxiously through the frontal visor as the Lupus lined up its cannon to shoot. One solid hit would blow the Edelweiss apart.

Then, in his headphones, Welkin heard Juno say, "Welkin, there has to be another way! Don't do this!"

"I'm sorry, Juno…" Welkin answered, "but I just don't know what else I can do. This may our only chance to defeat Jaeger."

"Boss, of all the crazy stunts you've pulled, this is the worst!" Largo interrupted.

"I know the risks, Largo. Just be ready to do your part."

"Got it, boss…"

"I'm ready when you are, sir," said Nadine, though no enthusiasm was in her voice.

At that moment, the Lupus fired. Its armor-piercing shell struck the Edelweiss, but failed to penetrate, sheering off a loose armor plate instead.

Bracing against the shock, Welkin said, "Nadine, set off the smoke rounds."

As the Lupus reloaded, Jaeger watched his prey intently. Then, from a building to his right, Jaeger saw a Gallian engineer, a Darcsen no-less, firing a rifle at what appeared to be battlefield debris. But upon taking a closer look, Jaeger saw that the targets were actually smoke rounds, set on the road like makeshift landmines, yet not nearly hidden well enough. As each round was hit by bullets, smoke burst out of the rounds, quickly coating the street in a thick haze.

Watching as the smoke filled the street, Welkin shut his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Is. I wish there was another way…"

Jaeger smirked. Welkin had already tried this against him several times now, using the cover of the smoke to retreat to hiding. Clearly, the Gallian lieutenant was desperate at this time.

"Load HE round," Jaeger said calmly to his crew.

The Lupus angled its cannon upward and fired, lobbing the high-explosive round into the smokescreen. The blast, coupled with its shockwave, quickly blew away the smoke that filled the street.

But to Jaeger's shock, through the flames of the blast, the Edelweiss emerged at full speed, coming straight for the Lupus. The howl of its engine made clear that the tank was being pushed past its limits, for it moved with uncharacteristic velocity of something of such size.

Caught by complete surprise, Jaeger immediately realized what Welkin's plan was. He was going to ram them!

"Load AP round, now!" Jaeger shouted, furiously trying to angle the Lupus' cannon in the process.

Next to Largo, Juno watched as the Edelweiss sped by them. The sight of it horrified Juno; Welkin was clearly rushing to his doom!

"No, no… Welkin, please…"

Growling, Largo shouted as loud as he could, "You crazy bastard!"

The Lupus fired. Its shell scored a solid blow on the Edelweiss, exploding on impact without fully penetrating the tank's armor. A large portion of the tank's front hull was blown open, enough so that Welkin could see out of the hole clearly, and that Jaeger could see him. Incredibly, Welkin avoided injury from the shrapnel besides a few cuts.

Jaeger watched as the Edelweiss approached, not slowing down in the slightest. The look on Welkin's face as he cried out heroically was nothing short of astounding. There was no stopping him now, and no stopping the inevitable impact.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Jaeger shouted to his men.

The hulls of the Edelweiss and Lupus met a second later.

A thunderous sound of metal smashing and scraping together reverberated through Vasel's streets. The force of the impact lifted up the Lupus slightly, causing its left side to rest on top of the Edelweiss' hull. Armor fragments and flame scattered across the streets. The engine of the Lupus whined as it lost power. Both tanks were left in a ruined mess as the dust settled.

Juno stared in mute horror at the wreckage.

"WELKIIINNN!"

* * *

Cordelia followed Johann through the Marmota's steel hallways, escorted by two guards armed with rifles. Though the guards had surely been ordered not to harm her, Cordelia didn't feel any safer. Johann's expression wasn't encouraging either.

Cordelia shut her eyes briefly as Johann opened the door to the bridge, and then stepped through after him. After a few paces, Cordelia watched as Johann stopped, turned to the center of the room, and made a salute. Turning, Cordelia's dark-blue eyes met Maximilian's light-blue ones.

"Highness, I welcome your presence here," said Maximilian.

"If only I could say the same of you, Maximilian," Cordelia responded icily.

Ignoring her reply, Maximilian turned to an intelligence officer to his left and said, "Have our scouts reported back from Andorhal yet?"

"They have, Your Grace," said the officer. "They report that a militia force around sixty strong is rallying for an attempt to try and retake Randgriz. They have no armor in their forces. Our vanguard could deal with them with ease."

"No, that shall not be necessary." With a small smirk, Maximilian turned back to Cordelia and said, "Still your people resist. How worthless. Yet I must set an example if the bloodshed is to end, and if I am to be proclaimed king."

"An example?" Cordelia asked, afraid of what Maximilian was talking about. If he wasn't planning to send troops into Andorhal, what was he planning?

"Helmsman, I have decided on our first test run," said Maximilian. "Your target is Andorhal."

"Yes, Your Grace!"

As the helmsman directed the technicians on the bridge to change the Marmota's direction, Maxmilian turned to Cordelia and gestured to a nearby chair as he said, "Please, Highness, have a seat. I insist."

Though she stared defiantly for a moment at Maximilian, Cordelia chose to seat herself next to the Imperial prince. As she sat, Cordelia watched as the bridge's metal shutters, which had been closed when she entered, began to slide open, revealing the outside through bullet-resistant glass.

The first thing Cordelia noticed made her eyes widen with horror. It was the monstrous Valkyrur lance stationed atop the Marmota, pointed straight ahead.

"T-The Valkof…!" Cordelia gasped.

"Indeed, Highness," said Maximilian. "I have unearthed the Valkyrur's greatest weapon from its slumber within the Spire of Randgriz. With it, I shall bring Gallia to its knees before me."

As Cordelia gazed upon the Valkof, she slowly looked down at the horizon. The Marmota had apparently left Randgriz, carrying the Valkof out with it. Slowly, but surely, a village came into view in the distance: the village of Andorhal. It was a community primarily revolving around agriculture and farming, and wasn't very large, though at least a few hundred or so people called Andorhal home. So far, the village had been untouched by the war.

The Marmota stopped in its turn. The Valkof was pointed right at Andorhal.

"Your Grace, we've locked on to the target," said the helmsman. "Power level is reading at 45 percent."

"That shall suffice," said Maximilian. "Engage."

"No…" Cordelia gasped. Then, more frantically, she pleaded, "No, you can't! Those people are innocent!"

"They dare to raise arms against Gallia's new king," Maximilian said calmly. "For that, they must be punished."

Terrified, Cordelia looked out at the village. Above them, she saw energy begin to swirl around the Valkof. Azure flames began to engulf the lance as it spun majestically. This, combined with the voices of Maximilian's men as they prepared the Valkof to attack, was an unbearable sight.

"Yet through their demise," Maximilian continued, "all of Europa shall learn of my might, and will tremble at the very mention of my name!"

"No, no, please… don't…" Cordelia pleaded, as tears began streaming from her eyes. As she did, Johann watched her with a look of pity on his face.

"For I am Maximilian Gaius von Reginrave, King of the Valkyrur!"

Energy surged in a bright blue light around the Valkof, bright enough that the light of the sun seemed to retreat from around the Marmota.

"FIRE!"

"NOOOOOO!"

A massive beam of blue fire surged from the Valkof and careened at Andorhal.

Seconds later, Cordelia watched in horror as the beam struck the village, releasing a blinding blue light that forced her and several others on the bridge to shield their eyes. Maximilian, however, did not, choosing to watch as the flames engulfed the village.

After what felt like an eternity, the blinding light faded from Cordelia's eyes. Slowly, she looked out the front window.

Andorhal was gone. All that remained was a smoldering crater, from which a blue cloud of smoke rose into the sky.

"Such devastation, and not even at half its full strength," Maximilian said bemusedly. Looking at Cordelia, he added, "The power to bring any enemy to its knees… Magnificent, is it not, Highness?"

Cordelia said nothing, though her panicked breath could be heard by all on the bridge. Her eyes remained fixated on the burning basin that had once been Andorhal. The whole village, and the people who lived in it, had vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Such glorious power warrants another display," said Maximilian. Turning to the helmsman, he ordered, "Charge the Valkof and target another village. And this time, we shall unleash more of the Valkof's might upon Gallia's people!"

"STOP!" Cordelia screamed.

Everyone on the bridge jolted at Cordelia's voice, except for Maximilian, who looked at the princess with a short smile. The Darcsen princess was now in tears, unable to take any more of Maximilian's threats.

Not turning to face the Imperial prince, Cordelia said, "I… I will agree to your terms. Gallia will surrender… just please… please, no more…"

His smile widening, Maximilian said, "A wise decision, Highness." Turning to his aide, Maximilian said, "Have the treaty brought to me immediately."

"Yes, Your Grace." The aide briskly left the bridge after a short salute.

Maximilian turned back to see Cordelia had sat back down in her chair. Her hands now covered her face, for she wept softly, devoid of all hope. The sight of it was pitiful, yet Maximilian did not hold any sympathy for the princess.

Gallia belonged to him, now.

* * *

Cezary's eye continued to gaze at Marina's position. Nearly ten minutes had passed now since he had pinned her there. Cezary had been in longer sniper duels, however, and at this point certainly wasn't tiring. He suspected, however, that Marina wouldn't come out of hiding at any time soon. Somehow, Catherine was still alive, despite having lost so much blood.

It wouldn't be long, however, before Catherine bled out, Cezary thought. Perhaps at that time, Marina would emerge and the hunt would finally end.

"Not much time left, Wulfstan," said Cezary. "O'Hara's starting to look pretty ghostlike herself. I wonder who'll die first: you or her."

Marina grimaced as she looked at Catherine. Having lost so much blood, Marina doubted she was going to survive.

But then she heard a sound she wasn't at all expecting: Catherine was laughing.

At the same moment, Cezary heard Catherine's choking laughter, and was completely bewildered by it. What could she possibly be laughing about?

"I… might not have long… Cezary…" Catherine gasped, just loud enough so Cezary could hear her.

Then, despite all the pain she was in and how weak her body had become, Catherine lifted her right hand. Cezary's eyes widened immediately, for Catherine was holding her earpiece radio.

"B-But… neither… do you… you bastard…!" Catherine spat, followed by a few short, painful laughs.

Cezary immediately knew what was going on. Catherine had left the earpiece on; the Sevens would know he was still alive, and where he was! She had counted on the idea that he had left his own earpiece off to maintain silence, so he couldn't hear any transmissions, including the ones she had made.

Snarling, Cezary shouted, "You BITCH!"

With another chuckle, Catherine said, "Rosie's team… will be here in… a minute or so… Cezary…"

Cezary's face contorted with anger; he had to act now and escape!

"Damn you, O'Hara…!"

From the shadows, Cezary emerged. He wore a customized version of the Imperial sniper uniform, colored black and without any armor plates. The outfit was light and designed for concealment rather than protection. On his shoulder was the Imperial insignia of a First Lieutenant.

Slowly, Cezary advanced toward the dais through the aisles of pews, keeping his rifle trained on the pillar fragment Marina hid behind. Soon, he would have a clear shot from an angle; it wouldn't give him a shot at her head, but he would still have a killing shot available.

Marina heard the footsteps. They were moving to a position behind her, where Cezary would have a clean line of fire and where Marina still wouldn't be able to retaliate. Marina's mind raced; she had only seconds to do something.

But it was Catherine who moved first. Marina saw Catherine's hand move out, grasping her pistol. Yet she wasn't aiming at Cezary; she aimed away from him, at one of the painted glass windows of the cathedral.

"Marina, kill that… bugger… for me…!"

Catherine fired her shot, which struck the window and shattered it. A burst of sunlight shone into the cathedral.

Cezary yelped as he was, for a brief second, blinded by the sunlight that reflected off the pillar fragment.

Marina moved in that instant. As fast as she could, she made a mad dash for her rifle, scooping it up immediately. Without a moment's pause, she swung around just as Cezary recovered.

"WULFSTAN!" Cezary howled, centering his sights on Marina's head. She aimed back in kind.

Two rifle shots went off simultaneously.

Pain coursed through Marina's left cheek. A thin line across the left side of her face began to bleed. She did not move.

"I-Impossible…!" Cezary gasped.

Marina's bullet had struck Cezary right in the center of his forehead, yet lay lodged in his skull. Blood trailed out of the wound as Cezary's rifle dropped to the ground with a dull clatter.

Marina kept her rifle trained on Cezary, despite not having a bullet in its chamber. The grey-haired sniper, despite having been shot in the head, had not died.

Slowly, with his arms stretched out as if to strangle his hated enemy, Cezary stumbled forward, his only thought being the death of the Ghost of Gallia.

"Th-This… i-isn't… over… W-Wulfstan…" Cezary stuttered hoarsely, each word rife with raw hatred. "I-I'll… h-haunt… you… until… th-the… day… you… d… die…!"

Marina watched, still as a statue, as Cezary fell forward, and breathed his last.

For what felt like hours, Marina looked down at Cezary's body. It was finally over. Cezary was finally dead.

The sound of a painful cough from Catherine snapped Marina back to her senses. A sudden dread filled her heart at the same moment. Catherine was dying.

"Catherine!" Marina shouted as she rushed to her godmother's side.

Coughing loudly, Catherine asked, "Did you… get him…?"

"Yeah, I got him! Catherine, hang on!" Marina answered, uncharacteristically frantically.

Marina didn't even notice as Rosie, Edy and Homer ran into the cathedral. The three immediately ran to help Marina try and save Catherine.

* * *

Largo watched the wreckage next to Juno, who sobbed uncontrollably, looking for any sign of movement. He doubted Welkin was still alive after such a devastating crash, but he had been ordered to wait, and he intended to follow that order. If Welkin didn't show any sign he was still alive after another minute, however, Largo was to assume that he had died in the crash, and was to complete his orders.

Then, he saw the turret hatch move. Evidently, Juno had also noticed the movement, for she was screaming Welkin's name at the top of her lungs.

"Welkin! Welkin, get out of there!"

Inside the Edelweiss, Welkin groaned from the impact. His head rung like a bell and his body stung from whiplash. There was also a fire inside the Edelweiss; he didn't have much time to escape. Yet in his condition, he didn't have the strength to open the turret hatch. It refused to open in any case, likely jammed in the crash.

Outside, Juno scrambled on her hands to try and pull herself toward the Edelweiss, still unable to walk due to her injuries. Largo, however, was quick to restrain the girl, despite her frantic shrieks. From where they were, Largo could see that the hatch wouldn't open; it had been battered pretty badly.

As he tried to hold Juno back, Largo turned and shouted, "Nadine, get him out of there!"

Nadine was already running toward the Edelweiss when Largo gave the order. "I'm on it!" she shouted.

A few seconds into her mad dash, Nadine shrieked as a hail of submachine gun bullets rained around her feet. As she dived for cover, Largo looked up and saw a pair of Imperial shock troopers had come to reinforce Jaeger, and had positioned themselves in a broken apartment building.

Grabbing a hold of his Theimer MXR, Largo raised the lance to the two shock troopers and fired. The rocket smashed into the room of the Imperial assailants, bringing its ceiling down on top of them. Neither one got back up.

"Keep going, we'll cover you!" Largo bellowed to Nadine, passing a rifle to Juno.

Nadine didn't bother to acknowledge this; time was of the essence, after all. Breaking from cover, she ran as hard as she could at the Edelweiss' wreckage, reaching it in seconds. Quickly, she rushed up the side of the battered tank, pulling out a crowbar from her pack as she did.

Hooking onto the hatch, Nadine said to herself, "I lost Isara already… I'm not gonna let you die as well, Welkin!"

With that, Nadine pulled down on the crowbar with every ounce of strength she had, desperately trying to pry open the tank before Welkin perished within it.

A moment later, the hatch burst open. Not prepared for the sudden release, Nadine yelped as she fell backward, landing in a heap on the pavement. Pushing herself up, Nadine suddenly noticed something that made her eyes widen. It was the Edelweiss' engine; Ragnite energy was crackling from it wildly. With the energy becoming so unstable, Nadine feared the engine would explode soon.

Suddenly Nadine realized what she was doing, prompting her to scramble to her feet and up to the top of the Edelweiss. Peering into the tank, Nadine's face lit up as she saw Welkin, wounded but alive.

"Welkin! Hang on, sir! I'm gonna get you out!"

Juno watched in relief as Nadine hoisted Welkin out of the Edelweiss and led him down its side. Welkin now sported more injuries than before, yet, again, he somehow avoided any fatal wounds. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Thirty seconds passed before Nadine was able to bring Welkin over to Juno and Largo. As Nadine set him down, Juno asked frantically, "Welkin, are you alright? Are–"

Coughing, Welkin answered, "Now I know how a bird must feel whenever it hits a window."

Juno, somewhat exasperated that Welkin was still thinking of his love of nature, couldn't help but smile, crying as she did.

At that moment, Jaeger grimaced as his head rung from the crash. His forehead was bleeding, but he was otherwise fine for the most part. The ramming attack had taken him by surprise; he hadn't expected Welkin to do something so suicidal.

Looking down, Jaeger saw that his driver, who had served him for many years now, lay on the steering wheel covered in blood. The impact had probably caused him to strike his head on one of the instruments; if he wasn't already dead, he soon would be. His other two crewmates had suffered similar fates; both were coated in their blood, either dead or slowly dying from the impact.

"Clever move, Gunther," Jaeger said with a smirk, deciding to mourn his fallen comrades later as he grasped the turret controls. He wasn't about to go down without a fight.

As he sat next to the others while Nadine tended to his wounds, Welkin saw the Lupus' turret begin to move. It was as he feared; Jaeger was still alive. Hearing the screech of metal as the turret moved, the others turned to see the Lupus trying to aim its cannon at them. They would never escape while Welkin was so badly wounded.

"Largo, destroy the Edelweiss…" Welkin said through clenched teeth.

Turning to the wounded lieutenant, Largo wanted to refuse Welkin's order to destroy the tank, a first in his long military career. But he knew it had to be done, and since the early days of the war he had sworn to follow Welkin's orders.

Grabbing his Theimer, Largo said, "Got it, boss."

Stepping into the open, Largo centered the sights of his lance on the Edelweiss' engine. At his range, and against a stationary target, there was no chance of missing, yet Largo hesitated to fire.

Then, in the corner of his eye, Largo saw the Lupus' cannon aim toward him.

The Lupus fired first. Jaeger's armor-piercing shot flew off course and smashed into the ground a few feet in front of Largo, creating a cloud of dust permeated by stone fragments and metal.

"LARGO!" Nadine screamed, seeing the veteran lancer engulfed by the blast.

The dust cleared after a moment. Miraculously, Largo was alive, albeit wounded. Several pieces of stone and metal dug into Largo's body, but he endured, keeping his Theimer steady. Blood trailed down the lancer's arms and legs.

"Sorry kid…" Largo muttered in a posthumous apology to Isara. His lance sparked to life as it fired an armor-piercing rocket.

Inside the Lupus, Jaeger watched as the rocket streaked toward its target. Shutting his eyes, he said humbly, "Well played, Gunther…"

Largo's shot hit the Edelweiss dead center, penetrating into the tank's interior. A second later, the Edelweiss erupted in an explosive funeral pyre that engulfed the Lupus. The blast could be heard for miles. The force of the blast sent shrapnel and fire in all directions as explosive shells within both tanks were set off.

For the next minute, Welkin, Juno, Largo and Nadine mutely watched the flames of Isara's creation. Even in its destruction, the Edelweiss retained its pride and splendor.

* * *

Marina pressed a red cloth to Catherine's chest as Homer tried whatever he could to stop the bleeding, an active Ragnaid capsule in his hand. On the sides, all Rosie and Edy could do was watch and wait for a medic to arrive. Yet deep down, Rosie knew Catherine wasn't going to make it. Surely Marina had to have known it too, but the look on her face showed she didn't want to believe it.

Rosie had never seen Marina like this. She was so desperate to try and save Catherine, but had never acted in such a way before. It was completely unlike the sniper she had come to know, who was cold and ruthless. This side of Marina was quite the opposite: scared and uncertain.

"Catherine, don't you die on me!" Marina pleaded frantically.

As she clasped her hands together, Edy said, "Homer, do something! She's dying!"

"I'm trying, Miss Edy!" Homer replied. "The Ragnaid isn't working!"

"What? You mean she's– no, Catherine, you can't die! Please, you can't die!" Edy started crying as she implored Catherine to live on.

Then, as Marina continued to try and hold back the blood ebbing from Catherine's wound, she felt a hand clasp her wrist. Turning, she saw Catherine looking straight at her.

"M-Marina… I'm sorry… for always getting in the way…" Catherine sighed.

"Catherine, don't say anything!" Marina snapped. "Save your strength!"

"You're a big girl now, Marina… And I've always… done what I thought was… best for you…" Catherine coughed loudly before adding, "But now… I'm not gonna be there… for you…"

Marina could only stare Catherine in the eye as she heard these words. All her life, Marina knew she had never treated Catherine well, despite all her godmother had done for her. Marina had never known her real mother, so Catherine had been something of a substitute for her. Only now, however, did Marina fully realize it.

As Catherine lifted her hand to touch Marina's wounded cheek, Marina grabbed Catherine by the wrist and shouted, "Catherine, you are not going to die on me! Do you hear me?"

In shock, Marina watched as Catherine smiled at her.

"Please… stay… safe… Marina…"

"Catherine, don't you dare do this!"

"I'm… sorry… Marcus…"

"Catherine!"

Catherine's wrist fell limp in Marina's hand. Her eyes slowly shut. Her breathing ceased as her head slumped over.

"C-Catherine…?"

Marina couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Frantically, she began shaking the elder sniper by the shoulders.

"Catherine? Catherine, don't do this! Wake up! Wake up… wake up…"

It was no use. Catherine wouldn't stir. The smile on her still face remained unmoving.

Marina trembled in place. This couldn't be happening… Catherine couldn't be dead…

But the cruel reality was that she was gone…

"No…"

As they stood around Marina, Rosie, Edy and Homer watched as the sniper lowered her head. It was palpable how much pain she was in. They too could hardly believe that Catherine was gone. But then they saw something that made their hearts sink even further.

Marina was crying…

Marina felt the tears as they ran down her face. She hadn't cried in more than ten years, ever since her father died at her hands. But now, the closest person she had ever had to a mother now lay dead before her. She couldn't stop crying.

It was too much for her to take.

Throughout the cathedral, and in the adjacent streets, Marina's wailing echoed.

Watching Marina's cries was too much for Edy to bear. Herself breaking into tears, Edy fell to her knees in front of Homer and buried her face in his chest. Homer slowly wrapped his arms around Edy, trying to comfort her. At the same time, Rosie grimaced as she looked at Isara's Darcsen doll. She too could not stop herself from shedding tears.

For what seemed to be an eon, the four Sevens wept for Catherine O'Hara.

* * *

Cordelia could only look in despair at the neatly-made piece of paper before her, an elegant pen in her hand. Written in fine ink, the treaty outlined the terms of Gallia's unconditional surrender to the Imperial forces commanded by Maximilian. Among the terms was the proclamation that Maximilian would be made Gallia's new monarch and undisputed ruler.

Standing behind her, Maximilian waited impatiently for Cordelia to sign the treaty. Once she did, Gallia would be his domain to rule as he saw fit. Yet her hesitance was starting to aggravate him.

"You try my patience, Highness!" Maximilian snapped. "Sign the agreement and be done with it!"

Ignoring Maximilian's words, Cordelia's eyes were wet with tears. In a moment, she was about to doom her country to the rule of a tyrant. But what choice did she have? If she refused, all of Gallia would burn to ashes…

The pen in Cordelia's hand met with the treaty.

"Y-Your Grace, sir!" shouted an Imperial officer.

Cordelia stopped, turning to see an Imperial lieutenant rush up to Maximilian, though the man did not salute him, too desperate to convey some message.

"Be silent!" Maximilian snapped at the officer. "This treaty seals our victory."

"Sir, the Gallians have broken through the Vasel defenses!" said the officer. "General Jaeger is defeated! N-Now the militia is headed to Randgriz even as we speak!"

"What?" Maximilian shouted, clearly infuriated.

Suddenly, Cordelia seemed to feel something she thought she had lost: hope. Gallia's people still fought for their freedom, and now Maximilian's last Triumviri general had been defeated. Then she looked down at her hands, realizing what she was almost about to do.

As Maximilian was scowling over how Jaeger had lost Vasel, he suddenly heard a small metallic clatter across the floor. Turning to its source, he saw the pen he had given Cordelia, thrown away by the princess. He turned to the princess; a second later, he watched as Cordelia tore the treaty in two, tossing aside the halves of the parchment.

Cordelia stared at the prince, her eyes lit once more with stone-like resolve.

Furious, Maximilian shouted, "How dare you!"

"I was a fool to give in to despair before you, Prince!" Cordelia said proudly, so that everyone could hear her. "Gallia's people continue to fight for their home, and for their freedom. As they fight, so too shall I continue to resist. I will not give in! Gallia will not submit to your tyranny, Maximilian Gaius von Reginrave!"

Cordelia's statement clearly infuriated Maximilian further, for he took one step toward the princess and dealt a harsh slap to her face with the back of his hand. Cordelia was knocked to the floor, landing on her side. Her cheek now took a rosy hue where Maximilian had struck her.

Infuriated, Maximilian hissed, "You continue to show such impertinence, Highness? You are more obstinate than I had first thought." As Cordelia pushed herself back up, Maximilian added harshly, "But know this, Highness: I command the mightiest weapon of the Valkyrur! With it, I could reduce your country to dust! If you continue to resist me, I shall make you watch as Gallia burns to the ground!"

Rising to her feet, Cordelia glared back at the enraged Imperial prince. To see Maximilian so angry was strangely satisfying to the princess.

"You will surrender Gallia to me, NOW!"

"Never," Cordelia answered proudly.

Maximilian again lashed out, striking Cordelia and sending her to the floor. The princess winced, yet she did not cry out in pain.

Cordelia slowly looked up at Maximilian, and what she saw was disheartening. The look of fury on Maximilian's face had been replaced with a livid calmness. He was still infuriated, to be sure, but now it seemed as if he were about to relish in some horrible atrocity that would soon come.

"So be it, Highness," Maximilian said in an eerily composed voice. Then, turning to his men, he commanded, "Charge the Valkof. We shall next target Randgriz itself with the full might of the Valkyrur!"

"Yes sir!" the crew responded loyally.

Cordelia's eyes widened in shock, watching as the view rotated back toward Randgriz. The city had thousands of innocents still within its walls, all who would be annihilated by the Valkof's power.

Striding to the front of the bridge, Maximilian muttered, "Damn those peasant dogs. Selvaria should have dealt with them at Ghirlandaio. Her failure was absolute, it would seem."

As Cordelia looked up at Maximilian, she suddenly heard Johann exclaim, "How can you speak of General Bles that way?"

The whole bridge seemed to stop and turn at the young lieutenant, who marched in front of Maximilian. The prince stared back at Johann, whose expression was one of anger toward the prince's words regarding his former superior.

"She fought to the end for you. She would have done anything for you! She LOVED you, and this is how you repay her memory?" Johann shouted. Then, in a somewhat more calm tone, he continued, "I swore service to you, Prince Maximilian, out of my loyalty to General Bles. But I… I cannot let you tarnish her memory with such cruelty! She fought for your sake, and I insist that you remember her for that!"

Maximilian said nothing to Johann, simply continuing to stare at the young man with contempt. The other men on the bridge were anxious; Maximilian was not someone who took insubordination well. To their surprise, Maximilian simply turned away from Johann condescendingly, a simple "hmph" as his response.

Then, moving around Maximilian, Johann walked up to Cordelia, stretching out a hand as he asked, "Are you alright, Your Highness?"

"Yes, thank you," Cordelia said, extending her hand to Johann's graciously. The Imperial lieutenant brought Cordelia to her feet.

"I'll take you back to your– GUH!"

Cordelia watched as Johann shuddered in place, his sentence cut off by a loud bang from behind him. The princess shrieked as he fell forward into her arms, forcing her to kneel as she brought him down to his knees.

"Johann? Johann!" Cordelia said fearfully, for she saw the bullet wound in the young man's back.

"G-General…" Johann gasped. It was his last word as his head drooped down.

Cordelia trembled as she held Johann's body in her arms. Then she looked up at Maximilian. A silver revolver that billowed smoke was in his hand.

"How… How could you?" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Those who are insubordinate to me face death," Maximilian answered. Turning to his men as he holstered his gun, he shouted, "Let him be an example to those of you who think to challenge my command!" All those on the bridge did nothing to challenge the prince, instead returning to their stations.

Then, Maximilian turned back to Cordelia, who gently set Johann's body down on the floor, and then stood to face the prince. But as she did, to her shock, Maximilian swiftly grasped her by the neck and pinned her against the rear wall of the bridge.

As Cordelia struggled to free herself, Maximilian said angrily, yet softly, "I grow weary of your insolence, Highness. Perhaps once you have been made to witness the destruction of Randgriz, you will see the folly of your actions. And perhaps, even afterwards, I may destroy a few other settlements, simply for measure!"

Cordelia gasped for air as Maximilian kept her slightly lifted off her feet. All efforts she made to try and escape from his grasp came in vain.

"Y-Your Grace!" shouted the helmsman.

"WHAT?" Maximilian shouted furiously, clearly not wanting to be interrupted.

"Mi-milord… I think you need to see this."

In annoyance, Maximilian turned to see the helmsman pointing at something in the distance. Upon seeing what it was, Maximilian's face suddenly turned to shock.

"What? It cannot be!"

Maximilian abruptly released his grip on Cordelia, causing the princess to fall to the floor on her knees as she gasped for breath, clutching her throat. Wondering just what had caused Maximilian to suddenly become so concerned, Cordelia looked out into the distance.

"…!"

In the middle of a green field, far away before the Marmota, was a blue light.

* * *

The aid station of the Gallian Remnant Army was crowded and noisy, for so many of the men and women had returned from battle with broken or severed limbs, while others had severe bleeding or other injuries. Around 50% of the Remnant Army had been killed or wounded in the battle for Vasel, which had ended in Gallian victory after the supposed demise of General Radi Jaeger. Even though no body was found in the wreckage of the Lupus, it was hard to fathom how Jaeger could have survived.

The battle had come at a steep price for Squad Seven. Coby was dead, Claudia had been injured, and Oscar, Emile and Julius were seriously wounded and had to be sent to a hospital. Juno had also sustained a severe leg injury from shrapnel, and many wondered if she would ever walk again. Additionally, in destroying the Lupus, Squad Seven had lost both the Edelweiss and the Shamrock, along with the Shamrock's driver Soren. Kreis had been badly injured during the battle against the Lupus, and had to be hospitalized as well. The returns of Edy, Homer and Karl did little to lighten the mood, for they bore ill news of the fall of Randgriz to the Imperials.

But that was far from the worst loss. The worst was the death of Catherine O'Hara. Many in the squad were shocked to hear of her death, particularly from Aisha and Juno, who were devastated to hear of Catherine's demise. Nearly equal shock to the news came from Largo and Captain Varrot, who had known Catherine since the First Europan War. Outrage was expressed when it was revealed that Cezary had been her killer, though they were put at ease upon learning that Cezary had died at Marina's hands.

Yet this was of no consolation to Marina, who knelt next to Catherine's shrouded body in the aid station. The sight of her dead godmother was unbearable. Tears still welled in her eyes; she couldn't stop her crying, and the sight of her tears had a horrific effect on the spirits of those around her. Seeing Gallia's ace sniper broken by the death of a comrade brought a sense of despair to those around her.

It was at this moment that two sets of footsteps came up behind Marina. She didn't even need to turn to know that it was Captain Varrot and Welkin who had come to see her.

"Marina, are you alright?" asked Welkin, despite knowing the answer she would give.

"…I should've known he'd be waiting for me… If I had, then she wouldn't have…"

"Marina, you did all you could."

"If I had taken him out when I had the chance, none of this would've happened…"

Welkin opened his mouth to object, but Varrot stopped him. "Sergeant Wulfstan, I know you would have taken every precaution in hunting down Cezary Regard. Yet Cezary was clearly prepared for it. It will do you no good to place blame for what has happened upon yourself."

"But I–"

"But nothing, Marina!" Her voice softening, Varrot continued, "Catherine and I were good friends and I will miss her dearly, but I know she cared for you as if you were her own child. I don't want you disgracing her memory by placing blame for her death on your own shoulders. You must remember, we are only human, Marina. We make mistakes. Do not think yourself above that fact."

Varrot may as well have slapped Marina, for she buried her face in her hands as she continued to cry. The captain's words were some of the harshest she had ever heard, yet each one hit exactly as needed.

Varrot knelt next to Marina and said, "Marina, a very wise man once told me that in battle, a soldier can make every correct tactical decision and still end up dying. That is not a weakness; it is an aspect of life."

Amidst some of her tears, Marina asked, "…Who said that, sir?"

"Your father, Marcus Wulfstan."

"…!"

Marina remembered those words: _You can do everything right, Marina, and still fail. It's a fact of life, not a flaw._ Her father had been teaching her a small lesson on disappointment, though it had never really stuck. Why she had not remembered them until now, Marina didn't know.

Turning to Welkin as she stood up, Varrot said, "I'm sorry, but I must tend to the organization of our forces to march upon Randgriz. I will need you and your squad ready to move out in two hours, lieutenant."

"I'll do what I can, captain," said Welkin.

As Varrot left the area, Welkin looked down at Marina and asked, "Marina, can I have a word with you?"

"…What is it?"

"Well, you've served with the squad since the beginning, and I've put you through so much since then. You've practically given your life for the squad, even if you've been trying to remain distant."

"Sir, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that, seeing you like this, I don't think it'd be best for you to keep fighting in the militia anymore. Or rather, I think you've fought enough."

Suddenly, Marina seemed to become slightly angry with Welkin. "Sir, you can't be serious."

"I'm not going to force this on you, Marina," Welkin answered calmly. "I'm simply offering you the chance to receive an honorable discharge from Squad Seven. You've fought in so many battles so far, and I think you've done more than enough for Gallia. We can take care of the rest. But you need time."

For a moment, Marina paused. Then, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she said, "…I'm sorry, sir… but I have to say no…"

"Are you sure, Marina?"

"Yes, sir. I can't quit now, not after everything we've sacrificed. There will be time to mourn when all this is over."

Welkin paused for a moment, and then said, "Alright, Marina. But I don't want you to freeze up on us when we go to retake Randgriz, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm holding you to that, Marina. Whenever you're ready, come find us. We'll wait for you."

"…Thank you, sir…"

Welkin smiled briefly and moved to leave. But after he took a few paces, he heard Marina add, "Welkin… I'm sure Isara would be happy that the Edelweiss put up a fight before going down."

Smiling again, Welkin said, "I'm sure she'd be really proud of it."

Welkin left the area, and for the next few minutes, Marina continued to kneel next to Catherine's body, reminiscing of how Catherine had always tried to help her, even when she didn't want the help. Now she was gone; Marina was truly alone now.

"Catherine… I promise I'll finish this…"

* * *

Maximilian could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Standing around 500 meters in front of the Marmota, surrounded by an aura of blue fire, was Gallia's Valkyria. Somehow, she had travelled all the way from Ghirlandaio by herself, despite confirmed reports from spies that Selvaria had severely injured her.

But as Maximilian peered out at the Valkyria through a pair of binoculars, he suddenly grinned. The Valkyria was barely standing, with clear blood stains coming from underneath her clothes. She hadn't fully recovered from her battle with Selvaria. Maximilian knew he had a chance to destroy her.

"So, Gallia's Valkyria intends to challenge us," said Maximilian. "Yet she does so while barely able to stay upright. How foolish of her." Turning to the helmsman, Maximilian said, "What is the charge on the Valkof?"

"We're reading at around 65% charge, Your Grace," the helmsman answered.

"More than enough to rid us of her. Prepare to fire!"

As Maximilian took his seat, Cordelia continued to watch the blue flame that stood to challenge the Marmota. If Maximilian was telling the truth, it had to be Alicia who stood before the Marmota. Yet if she was wounded, what chance did she stand against the Valkyrur's most powerful weapon?

"Watch closely, Highness," Maximilian said to Cordelia. "You state that there is hope so long as there is life? Then I shall crush that hope, by crushing Gallia's Valkyria!"

At that moment, Alicia watched as the enormous lance atop the battleship before her began to shimmer with blue light. It was building energy to attack; she had to strike now before it could fire. Alicia raised her lance. Her arms screamed in pain as she moved them, yet she forced herself to ignore it as her lance swelled with energy.

Inside the bridge of the Marmota, one of the crewmen spotted the swell of energy coming from Alicia. "Milord, the enemy Valkyria is preparing to attack!"

"Project the shield!" Maximilian commanded. "Let her realize the folly of her efforts!"

Maximilian watched from his seat as Alicia fired, sending a large blast of blue flame at the Marmota. But at the same time, the battleship was surrounded by a dome of blue energy, projected by the Valkof, which Alicia's blast collided with. The barrier rippled as it was struck, yet it held strong. Alicia's attack dispersed in moments.

Alicia looked on in despair at this. She couldn't so much as dent the barrier with what strength she had left. Already her body felt weary, and the aura of fire around her was beginning to fade. Alicia looked up; the lance aboard the battleship was glowing quite brightly as it surged with power.

"Milord, we are ready to fire on your command," the helmsman said to Maximilian.

"Then let us be rid of her once and for all. FIRE!"

Alicia braced her shield as the Valkof fired, sending a massive blue beam at her. Alicia's shield projected its blue barrier just as the beam struck it. Alicia screamed; the pressure alone from the blast threatened to crush her. It took every ounce of strength she had left just to keep from being blown off her feet. The shield began to crack; the barrier began to falter. In moments, Alicia would face obliteration.

Suddenly, the Valkof stopped. Its beam receded as the weapon wound down from its active state.

Maximilian was furious. "Report! What is the meaning of this?"

"Milord, Reactor Room C reports a fire has broken out among their generators," said one of the technicians. "They had to shut them down to prevent the system from going critical."

Maximilian scowled at this; it seemed the Marmota wasn't fully prepared to handle the Valkof's true power. Improvements would have to be made.

Taking out his binoculars again, Maximilian looked out at Alicia. She barely stood, trying to hold herself up against her lance, which stuck into the ground. Her shield had shattered, its pieces scattered across the smoldering field around her.

"The Valkyria is vulnerable!" Maximilian shouted. "Prepare the Valkof to fire!"

"Milord, we can't," said the helmsman. "If we fire now, we could end up destroying the whole ship!"

Though irked, Maximilian saw the helmsman's reasoning. "Very well," the prince said. "Ready all cannons! The Valkyria no longer has the protection of her shield. Without it, she is but flesh and bone. Fire at will!"

Slowly, Alicia looked up at the battleship. Along its sides, dozens of cannons turned to aim at her. Without her shield, she would never survive such a massive barrage.

Yet in defiance, Alicia stood up and said, "As… as long as I can still draw breath, I… I will defend Gallia to the end!"

Alicia cried out as she ran straight at the Marmota, her lance now beginning to surge with all the power she could muster. The Marmota's cannons came alive, sending hundreds of explosive shells crashing down around Alicia. Shrapnel cut at her arms and legs, yet she forced herself forward.

"I NEVER WANTED THIS!"

Alicia threw her lance with all her might, sending it careening at the Marmota. The lance shattered as it flew, turning into a spear of pure energy that pierced effortlessly though the Marmota's front plate and came out the rear.

Explosions rocked the massive battleship. Men screamed as they were engulfed by fire, steam, and various boiling fluids. The Marmota's guns fell silent as they lost power. Onboard the bridge, the men inside struggled to stay standing. Cordelia was forced to hold onto a nearby railing for dear life, while Maximilian grimaced as he clutched the arms of his chair.

The worst of the destruction passed momentarily. Slowly standing, Maximilian said, "Damage report!"

Reports quickly came in from all over the ship. It was bad, yet not as bad as Maximilian had anticipated. Fires had sprung up all around the ship. Several decks had taken severe damage, and two of the Marmota's eight reactors were destroyed. Without those reactors, the battleship could not wield the Valkof. Thankfully, the damage had been locked down quickly, so none of the other reactors were presently threatened. However, the Marmota's engines had taken critical damage; the battleship was a sitting duck. Thirty men were dead, and many more had been wounded. In all honesty, Maximilian had expected casualties to be far worse, and for damage to the ship to be far more catastrophic.

As Maximilian heard these reports, his thoughts turned back to his foe. He snapped his binoculars up, expecting to see a blue aura through the smoke that billowed from the Marmota's innards.

He saw no such flame. Instead, lying unconscious on the ground before the Marmota, was a brown-haired girl dressed in a tattered militia uniform. Maximilian recognized her from the Barious Ruins; a young peasant named Alicia Melchiott, who had had the gall to point a gun at him while Selvaria stood before her.

Turning to one of the officers on the bridge, Maximilian said, "Dispatch a team to the front of the Marmota and secure the enemy Valkyria. Then bring her to me. If she resists, kill her."

The officer saluted to Maximilian and quickly left the bridge. It was at this moment that Maximilian remembered Cordelia. He turned to the princess, who still clung to a railing.

Smirking slightly, Maximilian said, "Escort her Highness back to her quarters. I shall tend to her later."

Cordelia kept her gaze on Maximilian's still-confident smile as two guards escorted her off the bridge. Despite all that had happened, he still looked as though his victory was assured.

But with Alicia down, did Gallia stand a chance anymore? Cordelia prayed that it still did.

**End of Chapter 10**

AT LAST, I'VE FINISHED THIS ONE!

But there's still two more chapters to go. I just pray I won't take this long again to finish.

Marina and Cezary's duel had a few inspirations from the movie Enemy at the Gates, although I took a few liberties of my own to avoid making it too similar to the movie. In particular, trying to flesh out Cezary's reason for siding with the Imperials was tricky. He's a selfish asshole, so I had to make his reason selfish as well; he never held any loyalty to the Empire, or to anyone, really. Some people will think it's a bit of a bland reason, but I felt it was appropriate for him.

I had to get really creative in making Cezary as much of a "boss" character as Jaeger or Selvaria. Unlike those two, as a sniper, he can't normally do much to threaten a whole army. But with Vasel, I had lots of stuff I could use; the radio broadcasts, in particular, were a touch I derived from watching media that featured the Battle of Stalingrad. In these ways, Cezary could be more seen as "Squad Seven's demons" given form, rather than just a traitor. Imagine having to face an enemy like that in the 1930's; I'd be scared shitless, honestly.

I'll discuss more with you guys when I get your reviews. The button is below. Now I need to get to laying out the framework for Chapter 11.


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